THB HUBEB BRXOSLEI. 



STRUCTUIIE OF THE BEE. 



From the point of its antennas to the tip of its terrible sting 

 the bee may justly be regarded as one of the most marvellous 

 of God's creatures. To enter at length into a description of 

 the bee's structure would be at least to fill a hundred^ of these 

 pages, each page abounding with curious facts. To adopt such 

 a course, however, would be to depart from the scheme laid out 

 ere the first page of this volume was written, and give an air of 

 lopsidedness to the work not desirable. All that can be attempted 

 is to take the bee in hand and take brief note of its marvels from 

 head to tail. 



Examined through a microscope, its cuniemuB, or feelers, are 

 found to be thread-like appendages, composed of thirteen cylin- 

 drical joints of nearly equai diameter, the second from the 

 head being much longer than the rest, arid, with the exception 

 of this latter section, studded with fine perforations. As to the 

 true functions of these feelers, as they are commonly called, no 

 physiologist has been able definitely to pronounce. Whether 

 they are organs of hearing, or smell, or touch, or all three 

 combined, the closest and most patient investigation has failed 

 to make perfectly clear. It is known that bees employ their 

 antennae to ascertain the form of substances, as a guide in their 

 building operations, and as a medium of communication one 

 with the other — the last-named end being accomplished by the 

 bee passing his antennse across that of his friend. 



That great bee-master Huber made some curious experi- 

 ments to prove the use of these organs. He wished to ascer- 

 tain whether, when they had lost their queen, they discovered 



