APIS MELLIFICA. 189 



The ventral chain will be found to consist of a pair of sub- 

 esophageal, three pairs of thoracic, and five pairs of abdominal 

 ganglia with the connectives between them. Which of these 

 are largest ? Why is this the case ? Trace the nerves from them 

 and see what organs they supply. 



Trace the connectives forward from the sub-esophageal ganglia 

 and see that they pass around the esophagus, thus forming 

 the circum-esophageal connectives. Cut away the dorsal portion 

 of the head and expose the cerebral ganglia. 



Add the nervous system to the figure that shows the alimentary 



canal. 



7. Trace the oviducts down around the sides of the body 

 and notice that they unite with each other ventral to the nervous 

 system, to form the vagina. This may be traced to its opening 

 between the plates of the ovipositor. Dorsal to the vagina, 

 opening to the exterior very near it, is a small sac, the sperma- 

 theca, which serves to store the spermatozoa received from 

 the male until the eggs are laid. 



The reproductive organs may also be added to your figure show- 

 ing internal anatomy. 



Brooks: Hand-book of Invertebrate Zoology. dj .< moi 



Lang: Handbuch der Morphologic der wirbellosen Tiere. Bd. 4, 1921. 



APIS MELLIFICA. (Honey-Bec.) 



The life of this form is so different from that of the grasshopper 

 that, should time permit, a study of its complete anatomy would 

 be profitable, but attention will here be confined to a few of the 

 more general adaptations that fit it for its life. 



Bees at work on flowers should be examined and the methods 

 of getting honey and pollen noticed. 



1. Catch by the wings a bee that has been gorging itself 

 and bend the abdomen forward with your thumb-nail until the 

 bee disgorges. Notice where the fluid comes from and how 

 much there is of it. When the abdomen is released watch the 

 bee as it swallows the drop it has disgorged. 



