THE BEE. 53 



to that assigned for the complicated teeth of the But- 

 terfly, &c., namely, because it possesses powerful 

 masticating organs at the mouth, and here we find it 

 to consist of a number of straight, sharp, siliceous 

 teeth, of very insignificant proportions (PL III. fig. 4), 

 which are discernible oidy under a high microscopic 

 power. 



Prom the stomach the food passess into a short 

 intestine, narrow at first, and widening as it proceeds 

 downwards. About the middle, this intestine re- 

 ceives a number of tubular glands, known as the 

 " biliary tubes" (PL VII. fig. 1, d), which correspond 

 in some degree to the liver in vertebrate animals, 

 and pour out their fluid upon the food in its pas- 

 sage through the intestine. Further on, this canal 

 becomes much wider, and is then known as the 

 " colon" (PL VII. fig. 1, e), which is the termination, 

 not only of the intestiue, but of the whole digestive 

 system. The remaining parts of the apparatus are 

 not of sufficient interest to the general reader to 

 induce us to dwell upon them, and we shall there- 

 fore pass on to that remarkable and deeply interest- 

 ing portion of the Bee's anatomy, the respiratory 

 system. 



The Bee, in common with most other insects, does 

 not breathe as we do through apertures in the head, 

 but the air is admitted by special organs situated 

 upon the surface of the body. These are called 

 spiracles or stigmata, and consist of little holes 

 pierced in the external integument, two pairs being 



