THE HONEY-BEE. 35 



This organ, beautiful in its construction, and 

 admirably adapted to its end, serving to tbe insect 

 the purpose of extracting the juices secreted in the 

 nectaries of flowers, consists, principally, of a long 

 slender piece, named, by entomologists, the Ligula, 

 and erroneously, though, considering its position and 

 use, not unnaturally, regarded as the tongue, (Wood- 

 Cut, page 34, fig. a.) It is, strictly speaking, formed 

 by a prolongation of the lower lip. It is not tubular, 

 as has been supposed, but solid throughout, consisting 

 of a close succession of cartilaginous rings, above 

 forty in number, each of which is fringed with very 

 minute hairs, and having also a small tuft of hair 

 at its extremity. It is of a flattish form, and about 

 the thickness of a human hair; and from its car- 

 tilaginous structure, capable of being easily moved 

 in all directions, rolling from side to side, and lapping 

 or licking up whatever, by the aid of the hairy fringes, 

 adheres to it. It is probably, by muscular motion, 

 that the fluid which it laps, is propelled into the 

 pharynx or canal, situated at its root, and through 

 which it is conveyed to the honey-bag. 



From the base of this lapping instrument, arise the 

 labial Palpi or Feelers, composed of four articulations, 

 (b } #.) of unequal length, the basal one being by much 

 the longest, and whose peculiar office is to ascertain 

 the nature of the food ; and both these and the ligula 

 are protected from injury by the maxillae or lower 

 jaws, (c, c.) which envelop them, when in a quiescent 

 state, as between two demi-sheaths, and thus pre- 

 sent the appearance of a single tube. About the 

 middle of the maxillse, are situated the maxillary 



