2 THE GENEALOGY OF THE BEE 



upper ones. This arrangement transforms two 

 otherwise small wings into one broad expanse. 

 Even so, the amount of wing area in the bees, 

 particularly in the near relations of the honey- 

 bee, the bumble-bees, is very small in com- 

 parison with that of most other insects. The 

 butterflies and moths have wings of vast expanse ; 

 the swiftly gliding dragon-flies have long, firm 

 pinions. Even the beetles have, packed away 

 under the horny covering which takes the place 

 of the upper pair of wings in most insects, a 

 longer pair of wings than those possessed by the 

 bees. Yet, notwithstanding this, the flight of 

 bees is the most rapid and sustained of any. 

 When we bear in mind that the wings of bees 

 have co support not only the weight of the in- 

 sect, but also at many times very great loads of 

 honey and pollen, we cannot help marvelhng at 

 the apparent uselessness of such small wings for 

 the purpose. 



Of late years the problem of flight has been 

 very much to the fore. The present generation 

 may, perhaps, pardonably claim to have solved 

 it for the human race, at least so far as the general 

 principles are concerned. Yet we have certainly 

 not succeeded in approaching to anything like 

 the power possessed by the bees. An enormous 

 amount of plane area is found necessary for the 

 support of even one man, and this is only achieved 

 by the fortunate inventions of clever engineers 



