Observations on certain parts of the animal oeconomy. Inclusive of several papers from the Philosophical transactions, etc / by John Hunter ... With notes by Richard Owen.
- John Hunter
- Date:
- 1840
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: Observations on certain parts of the animal oeconomy. Inclusive of several papers from the Philosophical transactions, etc / by John Hunter ... With notes by Richard Owen. Source: Wellcome Collection.
456/494 page 448
![servoir, as such would spoilthe honey. This construction of parts is well adapted for the purpose, for the end projecting into the reservoir prevents any honey from getting into the stomach, because it acts there - as a valve; therefore whatever is taken in mustbe by an action of this valvular part. The stomach has a good deal the appearance of a gut, especially as it seems to come out froma bag. It passes almost di- rectly downwards in the middle of the abdomen. _ Its inner surface is very much increased, by having either circular valves, somewhat like the valvulze conniventes in the human jejunum, or spiral folds, as in the intestine of the shark, &c.; these may be seen through the external coats. In this part the food undergoes the change. Where the sto- mach terminates is not exactly to be ascertained, but it soon begins to throw itself into convolutions and becomes smaller. The intestine makes two or three twists upon itself, in which part it is enveloped in the ducts, constituting the liver and probably the pancreas, and at last passes on straight to the termination of the abdomen. Here it is capable of becoming very large, to serve upon occasion as a reservoir, containing a large quantity of excrement; it then contracts a little, and opens under the posterior edge of the last scale of the back, above the sting in the female and labourers, and the penis in the male.* Of the Sense of Bees. Bees certainly have the five senses. Sightnonecandoubt. Feel- ing they also have; and there is every reason for supposing 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 ina glass hive, so that they can be examined, if we put some honey into the bottom it will imme- diately breed a commotion; they all seem to be upon the scent; even if they are weak and hardly able to crawl, they will throw out their proboscides as far as possible to get to it, although the light is very faint. This last appears to arise more from smell than see- ing. Ifsome bees are let loose in a bee-hive, and do not know from which house they came, they will take their stand upon the outside of some hive or hives, especially when the evening is coming on; aaisaury this arises from the smell of the hives or sound I can hardly judge. Of the Voice of Bees. Bees may be said to have a voice. They are certainly capable of forming several 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. * [See Preps. 476, 477, 601, 602, 603, 604, 605. Physiological Series, Hun- terian Museum. ]](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b33292292_0456.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
