94 ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY. [Ch. II. 



Nature serve the place of hands, and the bees are able 

 to chop up in small pieces, and remove from their dwell- 

 ing, whatever lumber of this kind may be offensive to 

 them. They are appHed also for opening the anthers 

 of flowers. The whole of this apparatus, while perfect 

 in action in an expanded state, can be folded or coiled 

 together when not in use, so as to form one strong and 

 well-protected instrument. 



The antennae (Plate I. Figs, i a, 2 «, 3 a) are most im- 

 portant instruments, and are planted between or below the 

 eyes and a little below the stemmata, one on each side ; 

 they consist of a number of tubular joints, each having a 

 separate motion, and, being thus jointed throughout their 

 whole length, they are capable of every variety of flexure, 

 and their extremities are exquisitely sensitive. With the 

 antennae these insects recognise their queen, and appear 

 to communicate to each other their joys and sorrows. 

 For instance, if a colony be deprived of its queen, bees 

 may be seen rushing about the hive, and, with a nervous 

 twinge, crossing their antenna or violently striking them 

 together, and conveying the intelligence of their forlorn 

 state. The sense of touch is here most acute. Huber 

 performed an interesting experiment which definitely 

 proved that it was by means of these organs that they 

 communicated with each other. Dividing a hive by a 

 grating which kept the two portions too widely apart for 

 the antennae to meet, he soon had the queenless half in 

 a state of commotion and upset ; but when he allowed 



