IV 



THE WINGS 



In the long-bodied, golden-hued Italian bee, the wings 

 are not more than three-fourths the length of the abdomen. 



Clinging to the flowers with these small and dainty- 

 gossamers vibrating above its form, the little creature seems 

 like some tiny sprite bearing wings for beauty rather than 

 for use. 



Yet the airy wings of our pretty bee are most 'effectual 

 instruments of flight, carrying her many miles in the course 

 of a summer day. 



Butler quaintly tells us that " Nature hath furnished her 

 with four wings : which, swifter than the East-wind, carry her 

 into all the four coasts of the world ; and thence with her 

 precious lading bear her back again, until her incessant 

 labor hath worn them out." 



The thorax, that division of the body next back of the 

 head, is specially devoted to the organs of progression^ 

 bearing as it does the wings and the 

 legs. Isolate the thorax and its ap- ^/'^f;| 

 pendages, and we appear to have the 

 principal part of the bee, certainly it is the most showy 

 part. 



The head possesses the organs of sense and the wonderful 

 tongue ; the abdomen, which is the last division of the body, 

 carries the complex and respected sting ; but the thorax 

 controls the usefulness of all these, since it has attached to 

 it the means of locomotion. 



