390 THE STORY-BOOK OF SCIENCE 



' ' First the bee rolls delightedly among the stamens 

 to cover itself with pollen. Then it passes and re- 

 passes over its velvety body the extremities of its 

 hind legs, where is found a square piece bristling 

 on the inside with short and rough hairs which serve 

 as a brush. The grains of pollen scattered over the 

 down of the insect are thus gathered together into 

 a little pellet, which the intermediary legs seize in 

 order to place it in one or other of the baskets. 

 They call by this name a hollow edged with hair 

 on the outside of the hind legs, a little above the 

 brushes. It is there the pellets of pollen are piled 

 up as fast as the brushes gather them on the pow- 

 dery down. The load does not fall, because it is 

 held by the hairs that edge the basket; it is also 

 stuck against the bottom. The queen and the drones 

 have not these working implements. Utensils are 

 useless to those who do not work." 



"The little yellow masses one sees on the hind 

 legs of bees visiting the flowers are loads of pollen 

 contained in the baskets?" asked Jules. 



" Exactly. The bee has lapped so much sweet 

 from the corollas, has brushed its pollen-powdered 

 sides so often, that finally the crop is full and the 

 baskets are running over. It is time to go back to 

 the hive, time for a flight made heavy with so much 

 treasure. 



"Let us take advantage of the time used in the 

 return journey to inform ourselves about the origin 

 of honey. The bee carries with it a sugary liquor 

 in its crop, two balls of pollen in its baskets; but 

 all that is not yet honey. Eeal honey the bee pre- 



