apis 207 



storing, egg-laying, brood-rearing, etc., can be very satis- 

 factorily studied. 



Directions for the study of the mouth parts and the sting 

 are all that seem necessary, but the wings should be exam- 

 ined microscopically to see how those of a side are joined 

 together, and a hind leg should be examined to see how the 

 hairs on the tibia form a pollen basket. 



Mouth Parts. — 1. With a lens notice the pair of hard 

 jaws, the mandibles, situated on the sides of the head at 

 the base of the tongue. These mandibles are directly homolo- 

 gous with the mandibles of the grasshopper. Between the 

 bases of the mandibles is a labrum, and extending from be- 

 neath the end of the labrum is a small epipharynx. 



2. With scissors remove the tongue, which is normally car- 

 ried against the lower surface of the thorax, and transfer it 

 to a watch glass. It may now be dehydrated, passed into 

 oil of cloves, placed in position on a slide, and mounted in 

 balsam, when it can be studied best, or it may be immediately 

 spread under a cover or between slides in glycerin. 



3. The central portion is the hairy, segmented labium 

 (the hypopharynx of some authors) , bearing at its end a little 

 pad called the spoon. The labium is folded lengthwise so as 

 to form a pair of fine ducts which run from tip to base. The 

 arrangement is such that the bee may, through blood pressure, 

 unfold the labium. This probably is an adaptation for clean- 

 ing it. Attached to a median rod, the mentum, which forms 

 the base of the labium, is a pair of flattened appendages, the 

 labial palps, that are hinged so that they may be drawn to- 

 gether to inclose the labium and thus form a rather large 

 tube, which is made more complete by means of the remain- 

 ing pair of flattened appendages, the maxillae. On the outer 

 margin of each maxilla is a small protuberance, the maxillary 

 palp. When sipping from an abundance of liquid the ex- 

 temporized tube formed by the labial palps and maxillae 

 around the labium is used, the liquid being drawn in by 

 means of the sucking stomach. When the liquid is in very 



