THE society's NOTE-BOOKS. 259 



regard the " sideways " position a much better one for mounting 

 bees' mouths than the orthodox way. Of course, one should have 

 specimens in both positions, but they are far more natural 

 sideways. 



Not the least curious part of a bee's mouth is the tip of the 

 labium. Examples from various bees may be seen at Fig. 6 : — a 

 is from Melecta^ which has no distinct " spoon " ; b is from a 

 cuckoo-bee, and is very simple. The hairs on the labium are 

 scale-like, while in a they are hair-like, c is exceedingly curious 

 and complicated. It comes from the carder or moss-bee, Bo7nbus 

 miiscoriim. The hairs are narrow. The labium ends on a plate, 

 underneath which is a brush of hairs, very like tenent hairs from 

 a beetle's foot ; and last of all is a veritable spoon, shaped just 

 like a teaspoon, d comes from an A7ithophora^ the bee on which 

 Melecta is parasitic. The hairs here are long, thin scales, and the 

 spoon is flat, like a spatula, e is from a worker honey-bee (a 

 Ligurian, I think). The hairs are narrow, and the " spoon " is 

 tolerably flat. Its peculiarity is its having a row of trifid hairs at 

 its edge. I believe that in ordinary bees a slightly different 

 arrangement prevails. 



The shape of the labium is probably influenced by the habits 

 of the bee, but why should one have a brush and spoon at the 

 tip, and another a spatula, and so on ? 



The Sting (PI. XXIL, Figs. 2, 3, 4). — This is rather curious. 

 It will be seen that the poison-duct leads from the gland to the 

 sheath, and not to the barbs. The barbs of a bee's sting are very 

 curious. They always have a little stop (/!, Fig. 2) to prevent 

 their being pushed out too far. This will work up and down in 

 the swollen part of the sheath, but is stopped at the shoulder at 

 the point sf. I cannot exactly make out whether or no the barbs 

 are serrated, but at any rate they have no more than one tooth. 



A wasp's barbs are not furnished with the little stop,/, and 

 the sheath is not swollen at the base. At the point, sp.^ is some- 

 thing that looks like a spiracle, but I am not sure what it is. 



H. M. J. Underhill. 



Aclysia Dytisci. — These are not so rare as Mr. Nicholson 

 thinks. Although I have never found them on the Dytiscus^ I once 

 found them on a very long insect allied to a water-scorpion, and 

 frequently on the water-scorpion {Nepa cifierea), and rather com- 

 monly on the great water-boatman {Nototiecta glaucd). They are 

 bright-red in colour. I doubt if they are mites. They look to 

 me like Crustacea. If the legs (?) on the head of one of these 

 specimens be carefully examined, it will be seen that they are 



