BEE. 
423 
one of these insects inserts its sting deeply into any 
substance, and is in too much haste to withdraw it, 
the instrument is almost certain to be left behind, 
and part of the bowels of the bee drawn out with it. 
Thus it frequently happens that the little animal 
falls a sacrifice to its revenge. 
The trunk of the labouring bee is considerably 
longer than that of the queen, or the male, and is 
therefore better adapted to the purpose for which it 
is designed, viz. extracting the honey from the 
hollow parts of flowers of considerable depth. 
We shall now proceed to examine the body of a 
bee, which may be divided into three portions ; the 
head, the breast, and the belly. We shall likewise 
particularly notice the curious apparatus with which 
it inflicts its wounds. 
In the head we perceive two jaws and a trunk ; 
the former of these play like two saws opening and 
shutting to the right and left ; these saws serve them 
instead of hands, to hold and knead the wax, and 
to throw away whatever incommodes them. The 
trunk is a highly curious organ, and is considered 
as the largest of any animal we know, for its size. 
It consists of three articulations. The first part is 
chiefly composed of a horny substance, in which 
there is a groove; on the end of this is fixed the true 
trunk, composed of two parts, or articulations. 
With this little instrument, which is pliant and 
flexible in the greatest degree, will the bee collect 
more honey in a day, than we could ever obtain 
with all our boasted art. With this it probes the 
