254 statj: boaed of agriculture. 



mavfiii!?. When the niiixilliv are brought close together a tube is formed, 

 which is contiuned by aid of a colorless nieinbrano to the opening into the 

 pharynx. This opening is beneath the labruni and between the mandibles. 

 The colorless membrane is continuous with the epipharynx. The muscles 

 which move the maxilla? are attached mainly to the cardo and stipes. 



The labium or lower lip of the worker honey-bee is from twenty-three to 

 twenty-seven hundredths of an inch long. It consists of a central portion, 

 and two pairs of appendages, the paraglossoe (sec ;;, 7? in Fig. A) and the 

 labial palpi (see 1c, k in Fig. A). The central portion is divided into a basal 

 two-sevenths, or mentum (see m in Fig. A) and the terminal five-sevenths or 

 lignla (see t in Fig. A and B). The mentum is about seven-hundredths of 

 an inch long. It is hinged to the sub-mentum (see \\\ Fig. A) wiiich in 

 turn is hinged to the maxilla; by two chitinous rods (see h, b in Fig. A). 

 These rods permit free motion, and to them are attached muscles, which in. 

 part affect the movement of the labium. The mentum is a flattened cylinder, 

 the floor and sides of which are thick and opaque, because of the abundance of 

 chitine contained iu their structure. While lining this chitinous gutter and 

 com.pleting the tube is a thin colorless membrane, which is but the anterior 

 prolongation of the pharynx. There also abundant muscles within the men- 

 tum wliich extend even for a short distance along the sides of the base of the 

 tongue. These not only affect the motion of the whole labium, but also pro- 

 trude and retract tlie ligula or tongue. 



The ligula or tongue (Fig. A and B, t) extends from the anterior extrem- 

 ity of the mentum. It consists of a sheath (Fig. B, s) which from the many 

 rows of yellowish hairs appears annulated. When not distended, the sheath, 

 as seen in cross-section Fig. C), is kidney-shaped. It has a slit (Fig. C, 

 h) along the under surface, from the base very near the end. In some speci- 

 mens the slit seems to reach quite the end. Within the sheath is a small col- 

 ored, triangular rod (Fig. C, R) darker than the sheath, which except for a 

 slit (Fig. C, h) on its under surface, would form a tube (Fig. C, R) ; in 

 fact the sides of the rod along the slit can be brought in such close contact as 

 virtually to form a tube. Fine hairs project from the walls either side the slit 

 (Fig. C, h) into the tube, which doubtless aid in making the tube more per- 

 fect. Along the back of the rod is a conspicuous layer which Mr. Hyatt asserts 

 is muscular. If this be so we can readily see how its action would spread the 

 walls and open the slit. The rod projects beyond the sheath, as an imperfect 

 funnel, the "button" of Reaumur (Fig. A and B, /). The wanting section 

 of the funnel hai'inonizes with the slit in the rod. Near the end, the rod 

 seems firmly attached to the sheath. Any attempt to draw the rod from this 

 position is quite certain to rupture the sheath. The rod when extended pro- 

 jects from sixteen to eighteen-hundredths of an inch beyond the mentum. At 

 the base the rod is colorless, and its tube connects above with the membranous 

 sac next to be described, and through this with the tube of the mentum and 

 with the pharynx. 



Attached to the edges of the sheath, next to the slit, and possibly, as Mr. 

 Chambers tliinks, entirely lining the latter, and also to the corresponding edges 

 of the tubular rod is a thin membrane (Fig. C, s). Mr. Chambers thinks 

 this passes over the slit in the rod, making the tube of the latter complete. I 

 have reasons to think he is mi-taken as will appear in the sequel. When not 

 distended this membrane lies in folds (Fig. (J, *) ; but when distended it 

 with the rod pushes out of the sheath, so as to form with the latter a large 

 tubular sack (Fig. B S, s), with the tubular rod (Fig. C, R) along the surface 



