The Defcription, or Anatomy of the Bee. 45 
Here are their teeth, by which, in their wars and bat- 
tles among themfelves, they kill one another, and not 
with their ftings, as fome affert, and others fuppofe. In 
the fpace of forty years, 1 never faw one of thefe infects 
fix it’s fting in another, excepting once. 
Their chief flrength lies in their teeth, which are ter- 
rible inftruments of revenge, and moft fatal ; for all that 
are thus bitten moft furely die in’a fhort fpace: you may 
frequently obferve them with their wings difabled, or 
their joints diflocated, which they cannot long furvive ; 
for their wounds are always mortal, 
The third is their trunk or tongue, which by reafonof 
its length, the mouth is incapable of containing; but is 
doubled under the throat down to the breaft, divided in- 
to five branches, the outermoft being as-a cafe to the 
-reft. | 
It is pliant and flexible to the laft degree, as well as 
taper ; and of fuch length, that the Bee may be the bet- 
ter enabled to probe and penetrate to the bottom of the 
flowers, and exhauft all the difperfed melas juice 
for the publick fervice. 
From the fpungy nature of this probofcis, or polyglot, . 
{prings that power of fuction, whereby they are enabled 
quickly to abforb all thofe delicious fweets the flowers, . 
ce. fo plentifully afford them ; which, as they are ex- 
tracted from trees, plants, or flowers, are dire€tly con- 
veyed into the little bag or bladder, in the third and laft 
divifion, by means of two aqueduéts, or little canals, 
which ferve alfo as two ligaments, to join the principal 
parts aperther 3; afterwards the honey is conveyed back 
again 
