Note f — BOOK IV. (continued 2)

The Sting of a Wasp, or Bee, &c. is so pretty a Piece of Work, that it is worth taking Notice of, so far as I have not found others to have spoken of it. Others have observ’d the Sting to be an hollow Tube, with a Bag of sharp penetrating Juices, (its Poison,) joined to the End of it, within the Body of the Wasp, which is, in Stinging, injected into the Flesh through the Tube. But there are besides this, two small, sharp, bearded Spears, lying within this Tube or Sting, as in a Sheath. In a Wasp’s Sting, I counted eight Beards on the Side of each Spear, somewhat like the Beards of Fish-hooks. These Spears in the Sting, or Sheath, lie one with its Point a little before that of the other; as is represented in Fig. 21. to be ready, (I conceive,) to be first darted into the Flesh; which being once fix’d, by Means of its foremost Beard, the other then strikes in too, and so they alternately pierce deeper and deeper, their Beards taking more and more hold in the Flesh; after which the Sheath or Sting follows, to convey the Poison into the Wound. Which, that it may pierce the Better, it is drawn into a Point, with a small Slit a little below that Point, for the two Spears to come out at. By Means of this pretty Mechanism in the Sting, it is, that the Sting when out of the Body, and parted from it, is able to pierce and sting us: And by Means of the Beards being lodged deep in the Flesh, it comes to pass that Bees leave their Stings behind them, when they are disturbed before they have Time to withdraw their Spears into their Scabbard. In Fig. 21. is represented the two Spears as they lie in the Sting. In Fig. 22. the two Spears are represented when squeez’d out of the Sting, or the Scabbard; in which Latter, Fig. A c b, is the Sting, c d, and b e, the two bearded Spears thrust out.