CHAPTER XX. 

 THE BEE AND OTHER MEMBRANE-WINGED INSECTS.' 



The bee stands at the head of all the insects, as in its 

 most important features it is superior to all, both in struc- 

 ture and in mental traits. We will select the honey-bee, 

 as one is always sure of finding plenty of specimens. Those 

 that we see in our gardens are the workers ; the males, or 

 drones, and the females, or queens, are rarely seen out of 

 the hire. 



In the first place; see how well-proportioned are the three 



Fig. 134.— Head of a worker hive-bee. A, front, and B, side, view; oc, simple, e, 

 compound, eyes; epic, epieraniuni; ci, clypeus; Wr, labnun; md, mandible; 

 ma;, maxilla; i,lmgiia or tongue; ip, labial palpi. (Magnified.) 



regions of the body ; the head is large in proportion to the 

 thorax, which is nearly spherical ; and the hind body, 

 which has six visible segments, is short, conical, and at- 

 tached by a slender waist to the chest. 



Looking at the head, which is carried yertically, the 

 compound eyes are seen to be very large, while the three 



* See the works of Say, Saussure, McCook, F. Smith, Cresson, 

 Howard, etc. 



