BEES AND BEE-KEEPING. 



have and those that have not jointed feet. The fly and 

 leech thus part company, while, of course, our bee 

 takes its place in the first division ; but even here we 

 have wide diversities between creatures that cannot 

 claim kinship, such as butterflies, spiders, and lobsters, 

 the whole of which conform to the distinctions up to this 

 point established. The Arthropoda are, therefore, sepa- 

 rated into four classes, the first of which is Insecta — 

 insects having all certain well-marked peculiarities that 

 will appear in the sequel ; but it is sufficiently exact 

 for our present purpose to now briefly state that the 

 Hive Bee is an insect because its frame is divided 

 by deep constrictions into three parts. First, the 

 head ; second, the thorax or chest, to which are arti- 

 culated or jointed the legs and wings; and third, the 

 abdomen. 



Much as we have now narrowed our limits, this 

 definition still embraces a vast multitude of creatures 

 — comprehending moths, beetles, and flies — which 

 would appear to have little affinity with bees, and 

 so, for purposes of classification, other distinctions 

 are introduced, insects being separated into thirteen 

 orders, of which the Hymenoptera, or those carrying 

 four gauzy wings, includes not only bees, but also 

 wasps, ants, and some others. The Hyme'noptera 

 being again parcelled out into families, distinct places 

 are found for the latter insects, while our favourites 

 appear amongst the Apidas, or long-tongued bees, 

 which, in company with the Andrenidse, or short-tongued 

 bees, comprise about 2000 distinct species, of which 

 212 are acknowledged natives of Britain, and these 

 although differing greatly amongst themselves in size 



