TOW #13 Stinging Insects IRB Part 1

Edward Saunders, a etymologist, attempts teaches the public the basics of stinging insects with the purpose of inspiring. His intended point, as Saunders explains, is “take up the subject and add to our present scanty stock of information," (vi). In order to convert a casual reader into a well versed enthusiast, Saunders both animates the content and arranges the text in a way that a professor might, so that knowledge is built upon to understand more complicated ideas.

While everyone is familiar with stinging insects, most of our knowledge is about what they look like and how to avoid them. Saunders describes the laying of parasitic eggs into paralyzed living prey, “In consequence of this wonderful maternal instinct, foresight, or whatever the faculty may be, the larva when hatched finds fresh food ready for consumption,” (18). In order to spark life into the topic, Saunders uses creative language to discuss the intimate behaviors and family structure with which we may not be familiar.

Saunders's work is structured like a curriculum. The first section introduces the basics of each stinging insect. The next section describes different areas of study in the lives of the insects and tackles different hot topics in entomology, such as sexual dimorphism or pollination. The final section, as can be assumed from the titles of those chapters listed in the table of contents, is full of overarching ideas such as "On Colour" (119) or "On Structure" (132). This academically styled organization allows the general public to understand a breadth of information at various levels of complexity with the hopes that one area or another might spark some interest.

Yet, this work is more than it appears on the surface. The "humble bee" spoken of in this text, had been assumed to be a British variant on the bumblebee. However, humble bee is an old-fashioned term. This book was written at the turn of the twentieth century before the word bumblebee had been invented. It is very impressive that this work is still effective in its arrangement and style 104 years later.