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TEXT-BOOK OF ENTOMOLOGY 



"passes round the tongue to the back, where its edges do not meet, but are 

 continuous with a very thin plaited membrane ( (T, pm) covered with minute hairs. 

 This membrane, after passing towards the sides of the tongue, returns to the 

 angle of the nucleus, or rod, over the under surface of which it is probably con- 

 tinued. The rod passes through the tongue from end to end, gradually tapering 

 towards its extremity, and is best studied iu the queen, where I trace many 



nerve threads and cells. 

 It is undoubtedly en- 

 dowed with voluntary 

 movement, and must 

 be partly muscular, 

 although I have failed 

 completely in getting 

 any evidence of stria- 

 tion. The rod on the 

 under side has a gutter, 

 or trough-like hollow 

 (r(?, the central duct) 

 which is formed into a 

 pseudotube (false tube) 

 by intercrossing of 

 black hairs. It will 

 also be seen that, by 

 the posterior meeting 

 of the sheath, the space 

 between the folded 

 membrane (Cr, sd) be- 

 comes two pseudotubes 

 of larger size, which I 

 shall call the side ducts. 

 "These central and 

 side ducts run down to 

 that part of the tongue 

 where the spoon, or 

 bonton (A", Fig. 86) 

 is placed. This is pro- 

 vide d with very delicate 

 split hairs (ft, Fig. 86) 

 capable of brushing up 

 the most minute quan- 

 tity of nectar, which by 

 capillarity is at once 



FIG. 65. Head of honey bee, worker: ft, antenna; rj. epi- 

 pharvnx ; in, mandible; //'.''. maxilla; IHJ'JI, maxillary palpus; 

 /if/, paragloSSa ; ///, labial palpus; /, hvpopbarviix ; b, its spoon. 

 After Cheshire; from Hull. Div. Ent. V. S. Dep't. A^r. 



transferred by the gath- 

 ering hairs (which are 

 here numerous, long, 

 and thin) to two side groove-like forms at the back of the bouton, and which 

 are really the opened-out extremity of the centre and side duds, assuming, 

 immediately above the bouton, the form seen in F, Fig. H6. The central duct, 

 which is only from ^i. () inch to r - lt l nT , inch in diameter, because of its smaller 

 size, and so greater capillary attraction, receives the nectar, if insufficient in 

 quantity to fill the side ducts. But good honey-yielding plants would bring both 

 centre and side ducts into requisition. The nectar is sucked up until it reaches 

 the paraglossse (pa, B, Fig. 86), which are plate-like in front, but membranous 



