262 



THE GUIDE TO NATURE 



This hind leg, now bearing the scale, has been throughly treated, the wax is 

 is quickly bent forward toward the applied to the comb. It is difficult to 

 head, and the scale is grasped by the capture a bee just as the scale has been 

 fore legs, or by the mandibles. Some- impaled by the tiny spines at the end 

 times it is apparently removed from the of the leg, but the experimenter was in 



a few cases successful in doing so, and 

 found that the scale had been pierced 

 in several places by the strong spines 

 that project from the lower rows of the 



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PLs4A/7?P; 



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Fig. 6. Inner surface of the left hind leg of a 

 worker bee, showing the position of a wax scale im- 

 mediately after it has been removed from the wax 

 pocket. The scale has been pierced by seven of the 

 spines of the pollen combs of the first tarsal segment 

 or planta. The jaws of the so-called wax shears or 

 pincers are formed by the pecten spines above and 

 the surface of the auricle below. 



hind leg by the mandibles alone, but 

 usually the fore legs aid in the process, 

 and also manipulate the scale while the 

 mandibles masticate it. After the scale 



PHOTOGRAPH OF THE SPINES DIAGRAMMATI- 

 CAL!. Y SHOWN IN FIG. 6. 



ONE OF THE TWO MASTICATING MANDIULES 

 OF THE HONEYBEE. 



pollen combs of the leg, as shown in 

 the illustration. Regarding the scales 

 that have been accidentally dropped 

 the author writes as follows : 



"In any hive where comb is being 

 constructed rapidly many free scales 

 will be found upon the bottom board 

 and upon the lower bars of the frames. 

 If these scales are examined micro- 

 scopically some will be found without 

 marks upon them, having evidently 

 been loosened from their pockets acci- 

 dentally during the movements of the 

 workers over the comb and around the 

 hive. Others will show certain marks 

 and scratches upon them, indicating 

 that they were voluntarily removed 

 from the pockets, and in some cases 

 they may bear the marks of the man- 



