times during the development of the bee. Several moults occur during the larval life: one when the larva changes to a pupa, and the last one when the pupa changes to the adult or winged form, just before leaving the cell in which it has been developed.
The head.—The segments of which the body of an insect is composed are grouped into three regions: the head, the thorax, and the abdomen.
The head is the first of the three regions. It is formed of several segments grown together so as to from a compact box. It bears the eyes, the antennæ, and the mouth-parts.
The eyes are of two kinds, which are distinguished as the compound eyes and the simple eyes.
The compound eyes are two in number, one on each side of the head; they are the organs commonly recognised as the eyes. They are called compound eyes because each consists of a great number of little eyes closely pressed together. If a compound eye be examined with a microscope, it will be seen to present the appearance of a honey-comb, being composed of a great number of six-sided elements; each of these is a separate eye.
In addition to the compound eyes, the bee has three simple eyes, or ocelli, as they are termed. They are situated on the upper part of the head between the compound eyes.
The antennæ are two slender, many-jointed organs projecting from the front part of the head. Their use has not been fully elucidated. They
