Sting of the Bee. 91 



Bee Journal, vol. 6, page 29. The action in stinging and the 

 method of extruding the poison, are well described in a beau- 

 tifully illustrated article by Mr. J. D. Hyatt, in Vol. I, No. 1, 

 of American Quarterly Microscopical Journal. The larger of 

 the three awls (Fig. 28, .A) usually, though incorrectly, 

 styled a sheath, has a large cylindrical reservoir at its base 

 (Fig. 28, S) which is entirely shut off from the hollow (Fig. 

 28, H) in the more slender part of the awl, which latter serves 

 no purpose whatever, except to give strength and lightness. 



The reservoir connects at its base with the poison sack, and 

 below, by a slit, with the opening (Fig. 28, N) made by the 

 approximation of the three awls. The other two awls (Fig. 

 28, B, B), which we will call lancets, are also hollow (Fig. 

 28. I, I). They are barbed (Fig. 28, U, U) much like a 

 fish-hook, except that there are eight or ten barbs, instead of 

 one. Five of the barbs are large and strong. These barbs 

 catch hold and cause the extraction of the sting when the 

 organ is used. Near the base of each lancet is a beautiful 

 valvular organ (Fig. 28, E, E). The hollow inside the lancets 

 (Fig. 28, I, J), unlike that of the awl, is useful. It opens 

 anteriorly in front of the first six barbs (Fig. 28, o, o), as 

 shown by Mr. Hyatt, and posteriorly just back of the valves 

 into the central tube (Fig. 28, N), and through it into the 

 reservoir (Fig. 28, S). The poison then can pass either 

 through the hollow lancets (Fig. 28, J, J) or though the cen- 

 tral tubes (Fig. 28, N), between the three spears. 



The lancets are held to the central piece by projections 

 (Fig. 28, T, T) from the latter, which fit into corresponding 

 grooves (Fig. 28, T') of the lancets. In the figure the lancets 

 are moved one side to show the barbs and valves ; normally 

 they are held close together, - and thus form the tube (Fig. 

 28, N-). 



The parts of the sting are moved by muscles connecting 

 the basis of the parts and extending frpm the parts to the 

 large chitinous supports (Fig. 28, d). The fact that muscles 

 connect the various parts, and the muscular character of the 

 sack, explain how a sting may act, even after the bee is 

 apparently lifeless, or, what is even more wonderful, after it 

 has been extracted from the bee. The barbs hold one lancet 

 as a fulcrum for the other, and so long as the muscles are 

 excitable so long is a thrust possible. Thus I have known 



