: The Defcription, or Anatomy of the Bee. £9 
T his penetrating inftrument is difiinguithed, and com- 
monly known by the name of the fting, by which thefe 
anfects defend themfelves again{t men and beafts, and of- 
fend their enemies. | i, 
It is of an horny confiftence, and hollow like a tube, 
near the extremity of whichis an orifice, thro’ which the 
infect emits two darts; ftrong and pungent, tho’ inex- 
preffibly fine. 
But to give the reader a fuller defcription of fo curi- 
ous an inftrument, I readily accept the affiftance of thofe 
gentlemen who have, by the help of the microfcope, 
moft ftrictly examined it. 
“It thus appears to. confift of three parts, wiz. a 
-€¢ fheath or fcabbard, with two bearded darts, of an un- 
*€ equal length, which rifing obliquely, make the wound 
*¢ the more painful, prevent the return, and render the 
“© extraction the more difficult and troublefome. The 
‘¢ fheath terminates in a fharp point, and near the ex- 
“ tremity a paflage opens, thro” which, at the. time of 
. ftinging, the two bearded darts are protruded beyond 
<¢ the end of the fheath; one of which being longer than 
‘the other, fixes it’s beard firft, and the other inftant- 
¢]y following, they alternately ftrike deeper and deeper 
“© into the wound, by their hooks taking fafter hold of 
«¢ the flefh when a poifonous juice is injeed thro’ the 
«¢ fame (fpicula) or fheath, from a little bag at the root 
- © of the fting, which for a time occafions an acute pain- 
<< ful fwelling.” | 
Mr. Derham* tells us, that in the fting of a wafp he 
~ counted no lefs than eight beards on the fide of each 
* Derbam’s Phy. Theo. p. 241. D | dart, 
