12 BEHAVIOR OF HONEY BEE IN POLLEN COLLECTING. 



members are in action at once that it is impossible for the eye to 

 follow all at the same time. However, long-continued observation, 

 assisted by the study of instantaneous photographs, gives confidence 

 that the statements recorded are accurate, although some movements 

 may have escaped notice. 



To obtain pollen from corn the bee must find a tassel in the right 

 stage of ripeness, with flow^ers open and stamens hanging from them. 

 The bee alights upon a spike and crawls along it, clinging to the 

 pendent anthers. It crawls over the anthers, going from one flower 

 to another along the spike, being all the while busily engaged in the 

 task of obtaining pollen. This reaches its body in several ways. 



As the bee moves over the anthers it uses its mandibles and tongue, 

 biting the anthers and licldng them and securing a considerable 

 amount of pollen upon these jDarts. This pollen becomes moist and 

 sticky, since it is mingled with fluid from the mouth. A considerable 

 amount of pollen is dislodged from the anthers as the bee moves over 

 them. All of the legs receive a supply of this free pollen and much 

 adheres to the hairs which cover the body, more particularly to those 

 upon the ventral surface. This free pollen is dry and powdery and 

 is very different in appearance from the moist pollen masses with 

 which the bee returns to the hive. Before the return journey this 

 pollen must be transferred to the baskets and securely packed in them. 



After the bee has traversed a few flowers along the spike and has 

 become well supplied with free pollen it begins to collect it from its 

 body, head, and forward appendages and to transfer it to the pos- 

 terior pair of legs. This may be accomplished while the bee is 

 resting upon the flower or while it is hovering in the air before 

 seeking additional pollen. It is probably more thoroughly and rap- 

 idly accomplished while the bee is in the air, since all of the legs are 

 then free to function in the gathering process. 



If the collecting bee is seized with forceps and examined after it 

 has crawled over the stamens of a few flowers of the corn, its legs 

 and the ventral surface of its body are found to be thickly powdered 

 over with pollen. If the bee hovers in the air for a few moments 

 and is then examined very little pollen is found upon the body or 

 upon the legs, except the masses within the pollen baskets. While in 

 the air it has accomplished the work of collecting some of the scat- 

 tered grains and of storing them in the baskets, while others have 

 been brushed from the body. 



In attempting to describe the movements by which this result is 

 accomplished it will be best first to sketch briefly the roles of the 

 tliree pairs of legs. They are as follows : 



(a) The first pair of legs remove scattered pollen from the head 

 and the region of the neck, and the pollen that lias been moistened 

 by fluid substances from the mouth. 



