STRUCTURE ADAPTED TO UAN'JS. 83 



When we consider the quantities of tempting 

 food stored within the hive and the smallness of the 

 Httle insect which has to defend the precious sweets 

 against the covetousness of many enemies, we are 

 surely led to marvel at the wisdom which has pro- 

 vided the insect with such a formidable weapon, and 

 made it thus a match for even the larger animals. 



Sting highly magnified. 



And here may be mentioned, as showing the ex- ' 

 quisite perfection of the works of nature, that, as re- 

 lated by Bevan in his work on the Honey-bee : — 



' Upon examining the edge of a very keen razor by the mi- 

 croscope it appears as broad as the back of a pretty thick knife, 

 rough, uneven, and full of notches and furrows. And ah ex- 

 ceedingly small needle being also examined, the point thereof 

 appeared above a quarter of an inch in breadth, not round nor 

 flat, but irregular and unequal, and the surface, though ex- 

 tremely smooth and bright to the naked eye, seemed full of 

 ruggedness, holes, and scratches ; in short, it resembled an 

 iron bar out of a smith's forge. But the sting of a bee, viewed 

 through the same instrument, showed everywhere a polish amaz- 

 ingly beautiful, without the least flaw, blemish, or inequality 

 and ended in a point too fine to be discovered, yet this is only 

 the case or sheath of an instrument still more exquisite.' 



And now, passing by many wonderful things 

 in the structure .ojF the bee, such as the system by 



