BEE 



correfpondin^ with the mcl'itta of Kiiby, has thcfe charac- 

 ters ; " Machoires et lanjjiie tres alongces, deiix ou trois 

 fois plus lotifriies que la tcte, dirigees en avaiit dans I'iiiac- 

 tion, et dont la bafe rsfort infcrieurement de la cavite ou 

 elles font logees. Partie faillant de la langue evafee, a trois 

 divifions pins courte que la gaine : celle-ci longue et cylin- 

 d:ique." The two Fabrician genera, hyUtis and andirim, 

 are arranged under this family ; the tongue in hyUus is 

 thus dcfcribed, " langue large ; divifions du milieu cchan- 

 cree, dentelee, ciliee." In andnna, " langue oblonguc ; 

 divifion au milieu en point renfendue." La gaine, or (heath 

 of the tongue, is not invariably cylindrical in this divilioii 

 [mel'ilta') of apes ; it is fometimcs conical. 



In the family uhich includts the true apes of Kirby, the 

 tongue is thus defcribed by Latreille : " langne tres pro- 

 longee, etroile, liiieaire prelque, cylindrique, un peu coria- 

 cee, a papilks vers I'extrJmitc, flechie aJa fortied^ la gaine." 

 Nomada, upis, and eucera of Latreille are included under 

 this head. His nomada is thus characterifcd ilill further : 

 " langue d'une piece avec deux tres petites foies laterales." 

 ^p!s, " langue de trois pieces (organes de la nutrition phjs 

 pctits dans les males)." Eucera, " langue de cinq pieces." 

 We have deemed it requifite to be thus minute in following 

 the obfervations of Kirby, Latreille, and others, who have 

 diflecled and examined the ftrufture of the probofcis in dif- 

 ferent bees, with the aid of microfcopic glaflcs, for the pur- 

 pofe of fliewing tlie fallacy of the commonly received opi- 

 nion, that in all bees the ftruclure of this organ mufi be the 

 fame. For inllance, we fee that in one family the tongue 

 is very long, more than twice or thrice the length of the 

 head, with the extremity opening into three divifions, the 

 whole of which is contained within a (heath of a cylindric?! 

 form ; in others this part is conical. Kome have a large 

 tongue, with the middle divifion ol it floping, j;igged, and 

 ciliated, and the end truncated ; again, others have an ob- 

 long tongue, the middle piece of which is cleft or lacerated 

 at tile tip. In many, the tongue is very long, ftraight or 

 linear, almoft cylindrical and papillous at the extremity ; 

 while the tongue in others confills of a fingle piece, having 

 two lateral laciiiix of a imall fize ; and fometimes, on the 

 contrary, the tongue is formed of five pieces ; in the hyLcus, 

 andrena, and nomada famihes, the tongue is thrce-clcft, in 

 apis five-cleft, and in eucera feven-cleft. 



In the formation of the probafeis, the pnrpofe for which 

 nature has defigned this curious inllrnment is very apparent. 

 That of the common bee has been exam.ined with attention. 

 Firil, the (lieath or external parts are obferved to protedl 

 and llrengthen the organs of nutrition which they contain ; 

 the valves of the (heath are difpofed on each fide of the 

 tongue in pairs; with the tongue itielf, which is pervious, the 

 bee extrafts and gathers the neclareons juices from flowers, 

 which are (hortly after converted into honey. The two pieces 

 of the exterior iheath are horny or membranaceous ; tliofe 

 of the inner (heath are placed higher above the bafe than 

 the exterior ones. The probofcis is partly membranaceous, 

 and partly of a griftly nature, and has the louver part formed 

 in fuch a manner that it is capable of confiderable dillenfion, 

 by means of which the internal cavity may be prodigioufly 

 enlarged, ^nd rendered capacious enough to receive a great 

 quantity of native honey. V/hen the probofcis is (hut up, 

 and inaftive, it is very much flattened, and broader than it 

 is thick. The lower and membranaceous parts of the trunk 

 at the bafe have no hairs upon them, but are covered with 

 little tranfparent protuberances that are placed in regular 

 order, and at equal dillances from each other ; thefe are 

 fuppofed to be glandules, and may have a confiderable fliare 

 in changing or preparing the honey that is fwallowcd or 



Vol. IV. 



BEE 



taken up by the probofcis^" Down the middle of the pru- 

 bofcis there is a tube of a much harder nature than th.e fidci, 

 which becomes rather tapering towardsthe apex, where the 

 probofcis is very thick fet with fmall hairs, which may ^ 

 lerve to keep it" in a proper fituation when in ufe. 



I'he probofcis is not cylindrical, but rather a Itind of 

 convex blade, terminating to all appearance in a point ; and 

 the (heaths are fo contrived as to cover little more than the 

 upper part of it. Thcfe exterior (lieaths lap over eacii other 

 on tlie upper part, fo that the ontfide of the probofcis is 

 protcclecl by a very ftron^ double cafe ; a coveiing tliat was 

 unneccflary for tl'.c under part, bccaufe, when this inftruraent 

 is in ufe, the (heaths are cpened, but when inactive, it is fo 

 folded, that the under part is protefted by the body of the 

 bee. Within the exterior (heath, and mar the bottom, are 

 two levers, which are fixed to the end of the probofcis, and 

 by the motion of which it is raifcd or lowered. If a bee is 

 attentively obferved when it aliglits upon a full blown flow- 

 er, the activity and addrefs with which it employs this ap- 

 paratus will prove highly entertaining. The tongue is fnil 

 protruded, then lengthened, then (hortencd, and continually 

 kept in m.otion, bending and turning in every poSlble direc- 

 tion to adapt itfelf to the form of the flower. 



Thejl'tng of //j^ Bee is a curious weapon, adapted to the 

 induftnous habits of its life, which cxpofe it to a multitudv; 

 of dangers. It is truly an inftrument in every manner calcu- 

 lated lor ofFeniive or defenfive operations in the annoyance 

 of its enemies. The wound which the bee infliits with its 

 fling is fevere, to its little antagonills it oftentimes proves 

 mortal, becaufe it not only (Irikes deeply into their bodies, 

 but conveys at the fame time a powerful poifon into tl;e 

 wound which it occafions. In the queen, or female bee, 

 the fting is longer as well as (louterlhan in the working bee, 

 and is bent a little under the belly. The female and the 

 working bee are thofe only which are furnifned with a fting ; 

 for the male, as before cbfer\-ed, has none. The fting in 

 both is put in motion by means of certain mufcles attached 

 to its biife, and contained within the abdomen, where alio 

 the glands for the fecretion of the poifon is concealed. This 

 internal apparatus for the preparation of the poifon has been 

 niifconceived : every writer, except the late Mr. Hunter, 

 confiders it as a fingle receptacle ; whereas it appears, from 

 the obfervations of that judicious anatomift, to confift not 

 of one, but of two fmall duds, although thofe two feem to 

 unite into one : thefe are lituated in the region of the abdo- 

 men among the air vedcls, and when preffed, injeft into the 

 paffage of the fting the poifonons fluid drop by drop. The 

 fting is apparently tliick and folid at the bafe, and at the ex- 

 tremity remarkably acute ; fuch is its appearance to the com- 

 mon obferver : but ftriclly (peaking, this is nothing m.ore than 

 tile (heath or calc in which the genuine fting is contained ; the 

 latter is an appaiatus confifting of two extremely (lender beard- 

 ed darts, each of which has five or fix recurved teeth or 

 barbs placed near their extremity, or, according to Derhara, 

 they amount to eight recurved teeth on each dart. The 

 (heath is of an horny fubftance, round at the bafe, and on 

 the fides grooved, ending in a fnarp point, and has an open- 

 ing near the tip, through which the two bearded darts arc 

 protruded beyond the flieath, when the bee is in tiie aft of 

 (tinging. When tlie two barbed darts, of v/hich the true 

 fting confifts, are united, tliey eafily enter the flcfli, and 

 then opening a little, become for a moment moft fecurely 

 fixed by means of the teeth with which they are befel. 

 Some fay one cf thefe daits is rather longer than the other, 

 and fixes its beards, or teeth, firft ; and the other inftantly 

 following, they penetrate alternately deeper and deeper, 

 holding thenifclves tirmlv in the flefh with their beards, 



P v>\ 



