"The class of labouring bees, for we cannot call it either sex or species, is the largest in number of the whole communi ty : there are thousands of them to one quieen, and probably some hundreds to each male. It is to be supposed they are the only bees which construct the whole hive, and that the queen has no other bu siness but to lay the eggs : they are the only bees that bring in materials; the only ones we observe busy abroad; and indeed the idea of any other is ridiculous, when we consider the disproportion in numbers, as well as the employment of the others, while the working. bee has nothing to take off its attention to the business of the family. They are smaller than either the queen or the males : not all of equal size, although the difference is not very great.
" The queen and the working bees are so much alike, that the latter would seem to be females on a different scale : how ever, this difference is not so observable in the beginning of %tinter as in the spring, when the queen is full of eggs. They are all females in construction ; indeed, one might suppose that they were only young. queens, and that they be, ame queens af ter a certain age ; but this is not the case. They all have stings, which is another thing that makes them similar to the queen. From their being furnished with an instrument of defence and offence, they are endowed with such powers of mind as to use it, their minds being e xtremely ir ritable ; so much so, that they make an attack when not meddled with, simply upon suspicion, and when they do attack they always sting.; and yet, from the cir. cuinstance of their not being able to dis engage the sting, one should slippose they would be more cautious in striking with it. When they attack one another, they seldom use it, only their pincers : y et I saw two bees engaged, and one stung the other in the mouth, or thereabouts, and the sting was drawn from the body to which it belonged, and the one who was stung ran very qiiickly about with it ; but I could not catch that bee, to observe how the sting was situated.
" As they are the collectors of honey, much more than what is for their own use either immediately or in future, their tongue is proportionably fitted for that purpose : it is considerably larger than that of either the queen or the male, which fits them to take up the honey from the hollow parts of' flowers of consider able depth. The mechanism is very cu. riot:8, and will be explained further on.
" Bees certainly the five senses : sight none can doubt : feeling they also have ; and there is every reason for sup posing they have likewise taste, smell, and hearing. Taste we cannot doubt ; but of
smell we may not have such proofs; yet, from observation, I think they give strong signs of smell. When bees are hungry, as a young swarm in wet weather, and are in a glass hive, so that they can be ex amined, if we put some honey into the bottom, it will immediately breed a com motion ; they all seem to be upon the scent : even if they are weak, and hardly able to crawl, they will throw out their proboscis as fir as possible to get to it, although the light is very faint. This last appears to arise more from smell than see ing. If some bees are let loose in a bee-hive, and do not know from which honse they came, they will take their stand upon the outside of some hive, or hives, especially when the evening is coming on : whether this arises from the smell of the hives, or sound, can hardly judge.
" Bees may be said to have a voice. They are certainly capable of forming se veral sounds. They give a sound, when flying, which they can vary according to circumstances. One accustomed to bees can immediately tell when a bee makes an attack, by the sound. This is probably made by the wings. They may be seen standing at the door of their hive, with the belly rather raised, and moving their wings, making a noise. But they produce a noise independent of their wings ; for if a bee is smeared all over with honey, so as to make the wings stick together, it will be found to make a noise which is shrill and peevish. I have observed that they, or some of' them, make a noise the even ings befbre they swarm, which is a kind of ring, or sound of a small trumpet : by com paring it with the :totes of the piano.forte, it seemed to be the same with the lower A of the treble.
" I have observed, that it is only the queen and the labourers that have stings ; and this provision of a sting is perhaps as curious a circumstance as any attending the bee, and probably is one of the cha racters of the bee tribe.
" The apparatus itself is of a very curious construction, fitted for inflicting a wound, and at the same time convey ing a poison into that wound. The apparatus consists of two piercers, conducted in a groove or di rector, which appearsto be itself the sting. All these parts are moved by muscles, which we may suppose are very strong in in them, much stronger than in other ani mals ; anti these muscles give motion in alinost all directions, but more particularly outwards. It is wonderful how deep they will pierce solid bodies with the sting. have examined the length they have pierc.