"What is propolis, Uncle Philip?"
"It is a gum which is found upon some trees. This they work up into
little balls, and knead it until it is a little dry, so as not to stick.
This takes the bee sometimes as much as half an hour. When the balls
are ready, she passes them backwards with her feet to the basket, puts
them in, and gives them a pat or two to make them lie close; and when
she adds more, she pats it still harder, and when the basket is full,
away she goes to the hive. But there is another curious instrument about
the bee. I mean its sting: this is like the head of a barbed or bearded
arrow. There is a sheath for it when the bee does not wish to use it;
and here is a picture of it.
[Illustration: _a_, The sting of a Bee, magnified to show the barbed
darts; _b_, the last ring of the abdomen of a Bee opened, showing the
sting in its sheath.]