The Ha 8D © Re¥i elie NSB Gta é. 
eggs. Ihave likewife obferved the fame thing 
in lice of the human head, which differ from 
thofe of other animals greatly. Thefe havea 
confiderable ovary, likewife divided into two 
parts, each of which is again divided into fix 
oviduéts containing a great number of eggs Or 
nits. ‘Thefe eggs likewife differ from each 
other in bignefs, and when they approach to 
being laid, thofe that are firft laid and fattened 
down are much larger than the latter ones : 
this is likewife the cafe in Watps, whofe eggs 
are {mall and oval, Tab. XIX. fig. iv. dd. 
The bag of flime has, as I have obferved, on 
the lower part or otherwife on its fide, an ob- 
long duct, by the help of which it is connet- 
ed with the excretory paflage of the eggs, fig. 
111. x, and therefore when the eggs pafs 
through their excretory paflage in that part 
under the tube of the bag of flime, they are 
covered over with itsflime, which makes one 
end of them afterwards, when they are dif- 
charged, adhere to the wax; but how or 
where the orifice of this excretory pafiage is x, 
and what parts are to be feen there, I have 
not yet obferved, fince very few females are 
to be found in thefe unhappy times, whofe 
wars and flaughters have deftroyed even the 
Bees in our country: to this may be added, 
that what has been laid down cannot be feen 
fo exactly, unlefs the hinder parts of the body 
of the Bee are taken out, which I would not 
attempt, becaufe the reft of the parts were in 
this experiment to be preferved ; therefore I 
have nothing more to fay on this fubje@. I 
fhall only obferve that the letters yy indicate 
the external mufcular parts of the fling, as 
naturally bent , when broke off. z Exhibits 
the poifon bladder with its tube #, and clofed 
appendages @ 4 and its tube », protended or 
{tretched towards the theath of the fting. 
€ Reprefents the: laft gut called the rectum ; 
all the parts before recited are here exprefled 
in their natural form, but greatly magnified. 
There are likewife {een two little parts ¢ «, 
wherewith the fting is furnifhed on each 
fide; thefe we have feen defcribed in the 
hiftory of the common working Bee, which 
has them incommon with the female. 
As to the ftomach, inteftines, vata crocea, 
or yellow veffels, and other parts, all. thefe 
are conftructed in the fame manner in the 
female, as I have before defcribed them in 
the working Bee. I. thought I obferved fome 
fmall difference in refpect to the colour, as 
well as ftruéture and fituation, in thefe little 
_ oblong parts, which I examined in the cavity 
of the working Bee’s inteftine, where this is at 
length dilated. 
The poifon-bladder is likewife very remark. 
able in the female Bee, being throughout 
pellucid, clear, and perfpicuous like a diamond : 
it is as large again as in the working Bee. The 
tube, being con{picuous in the hinder part 
of this bladder, may be more eafily difcovered 
here than in the working Bee : and the other 
205 
tube which is extended from this bladder 
towards the cafe of the fting, is alfo ftronger 
and fomewhat longer in this than in the work- 
ing Bee, but as the humour contained in 
this bag appears to be fo perfpicuous and 
agreeable to the fight, I have endeavoured to 
tafte it, taking care at the fame time that I 
fhould not tafte fo much of it as that it could 
do me harm. This liquor firft affected the 
tongue witha bitterifh tafte, which afterwards 
became more acrid and pungent, diffufing itfelf 
through the whole cavity of the mouth unto 
the jaws, and forcing the faliva out of its 
ducts, and indeed the tongue was affected in 
the fame manner, but lefs violently, as with 
the root of pellitory of Spain. There was 
likewife a great motion made by it in all 
parts of my mouth, as if I had tafted ten of 
twelve drops of the moft highly rectified {pirit 
of wine; after this, becoming more bold, I 
tafted the poifon of other Bees, and of Wafps: 
all were alike, only that I difcovered that the 
poifon in the working Bee was not fo vehe- 
ment as in the female; and again, that what is 
in the female is more mild or gentle than the 
poifon of the Wafp. What wonder is it that a 
very {mall drop of this poifon being violently 
driven between the skin and fleth, and imme- 
diately mixed with the mafs of blood, fhould 
produce fo much pain, pulfation of the arteries, 
{welling and inflammation to that degree, that 
not only a fever, but death alfo would enfue 
thereon, if many ftings were inflied at once. 
Ifa {mall piece of glafs, or a little wooden 
fplinter, be ftruck or fixed in the finger, it 
caufes the moft violent pain, what muf be 
expected therefore from this fharp and moft 
penetrating liquor, which cofrodes at the fame 
time, fixes itfelf violently in the parts, diffolves 
their continuity, and at length creeping into 
the blood-veffels, diffufes itfelf, and circulates 
with the mafs of blood through the whole 
body ? it is a common obfervation among the 
vulgar that fix Hornets are fufficient to kill a 
horfe. 
The fting, together with all its parts, is con- 
ftructed in the female almoft in the fame 
manner as I have before defcribed it in the 
working Bee; the only difference I obferved 
was that it is more remarkably bent in the 
female, though at the fame time it is very 
fharp ; this is probably the reafon, that the 
female does not naturally wound with its 
fting, nor can it do it eafily: from this was 
afterwards framed the fable that the king, for 
fo they called the female, has no fting, and 
is of a mild difpofition. The female certainly 
threatens a ftroke, at leaft, when the is pro- 
voked, as I have learned from experience, 
But what the real ufe of this poifon is, if we 
are certain that it is given to Bees for fome 
other purpofe befides that of defending their 
offspring, in doing which they lofe their 
lives, I {carce fee how it is poflible to difcover. 
I formerly thought it might poflibly ferve to 
Ggg make 
