ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY. [Ch. II. 



and ragged wings, not grey hairs and wrinkled faces, 

 are the signs of old age — so that with bees (especially 

 Italians), as with the gentler sex of the human race, there 

 is appointed a period both of youth and beauty. 



The anatomical structure of our English bee is the 

 same in kind as that of the Italian ; * a description of 

 the one will therefore serve for the other. The most 

 apparent difference consists in the colour. The English 

 bee is of a blackish brown ; both varieties have their 

 bodies wholly covered with close-set hairs. These hairs 

 deserve particular attention, because, although so small, 

 each hair is feather-shaped, consisting of a stem and 

 branches somewhat analogous to the feathers of birds. 

 This form is extremely serviceable to the insect, when 

 revelling in the corolla of flowers, to collect the farina, 

 and, besides being thus useful, is peculiarly adapted for 

 retaining animal heat.f 



The insect is divided into three parts — the head, the 

 thorax or chest, and the abdomen. 



§ II. THE HEAD AND ORGANS OF SENSATION. 



, The head of the queen (Plate I. Fig. i c), as also that of 

 the drone (Fig. 3 c), is rounder than that of the worker 

 bee. This last (Fig. 2 c) is of a triangular shaj)e, and 



* Naturalists consider the Italian bee a Very superior race, and 

 that the various organs are stronger and of greater capacity ; it is 

 however not easy to define the precise anatomical superiority. 



t ' ' Naturalist's Library." 



