Social Insects. 65 



_ , *florea Fabr. Hab.: India, Ceylon, Borneo. 



< 1 =lobata Smith. Hab.: India. 



f*dorsata Fabr. Hab. : British India, Ceylon, Farther India, 

 Dutch East Indies. 

 =bicolor King. 

 Var. nigripennis Latr. Hab. : Bengal, 

 t Var. testacea Smith. Hab.: Timor. 



*zonata Guer. Hab.: Philippine Islands, Celebes. 

 This may prove but a variety of A. dorsata. 



NOTE 3. Polliniferous Organs in Bees. 



The modification of structure and hairy vestiture (see Fig. 2) to facil 

 itate the collection and transportation of pollen is, perhaps, exhibited 

 in its most perfect development in the Hive Bee. That these peculiarities 

 have been evolved from those possessed by less specialized species of 

 social bees, represented by existing Meliponae and Bombi, and still more 

 remotely from those of solitary bees, will not be questioned by those who 

 study the steps in the process as exemplified in modern species. 



The pollen of liowers is variously collected by different bees, and different 

 parts of the body are specially developed for this purpose. But in the Hive 

 Bee the specialized polliniferous apparatus is limited to the posterior legs, 

 and in these to the tibia and the basal joint of the tarsus, so that the 

 development of these pails only need be traced. 



In the case of the tibia the first thing to be noted is the entire absence of 

 the tibial spurs, which are present in all Hymenoptera except the genus 

 Apis, and its near allies Melipona and Trigona. The tibia and first tarsal 

 joint are greatly broadened and more or less concave exteriorly, and the 

 latter is extraordinarily enlarged, so that it is nearly equal m size to the 

 tibia. The outer surface of this modified tarsal joint'is not remarkable and 

 has no specific function, but the inner surface is divided into transverse 

 rows of stiff spines or combs, reddish in color, the rows slightly overlapping 

 and elevated at a slight angle from the surface of the joint. The function 

 of this series of combs is to collect the pollen grains which become entan- 

 led in the feathery hairs of the thorax of the insect, and an examination 

 will almost invariably discover more or less of the grains of pollen in these 

 combs. During the collecting of honey and pollen, the bee is constantly 

 passing the face of this tarsal joint over its abdomen, removing the pollen 

 grains from time to time, and emptying the load of pollen into the pollen- 

 basket proper or corbiculum, on the" outer face of the tibia. This, as noted, 

 is concave, with a smooth, almost hairless exterior surface, provided at the 

 sides with several rows of Jong curved hairs, which arch over either side, 

 forming a veritable basket in which the pollen may be securely packed. 

 As soon as the collecting combs of the tarsus are filled, the bee draws them 

 across the strong, curved hairs of the corbicula, the right tarsus emptying 

 into the left corbiculum and vice versa, until both are filled. These baskets 

 or masses of pollen are emptied by means of the single strong tibial spine 

 on each of the middle pair of legs, the spine being thrust beneath the load 

 of pollen and used as a pry to loosen and remove it. 



A very remarkable peculiarity of the posterior legs, but having no con 

 nection with the polliniferous apparatus, is seen at the union of tibia and 

 first tarsal joint. These are articulated at the extreme anterior angles in 

 such a manner that the broadened apex of one and the base of the other, 

 work together as a sort of nippers or pincers. The tibia is armed on the 

 inner margin with a strong, uniform row of short spines extending two- 

 thirds of the way across. This apparatus is employed by the bees in re 

 moving the wax scales trom the abdomen. 



