17 
CHAPTER II. 
GENERAL HISTORY OF BEES. 
THE EG-Q-.—THE LAEVA.—THE PUPA.—THE IMAGO. 
Although the preceding pages have been written 
upon the assumption that the reader knows what a bee 
is, now that we are gradually approaching the more 
special and technical portion of the subject it will be 
desirable to conform a little to the ordinary usages of 
scientific treatment. 
The bees constitute a family of the order Hymeno- 
ptera , viz. insects ordinarily, but in the case of bees 
always, with four transparent wings, which are variously 
but partially traversed longitudinally and transversely 
with threads, called nervures, supposed to be tubular, 
the relative position of which, together with the areas 
they enclose, called cells, help to give characters to the 
genera. 
Most of the Hymenoptera further possess some kind 
of an ovipositor,—of course restricted to the females,— 
varying considerably in the different families. This is 
sometimes external, but is often seated within the apex 
of the abdomen, whence it can be protruded for the 
purpose of depositing the egg in its right nidus. In 
our insect this organ is converted into a weapon of de- 
c 
