32 



INSECTS. 



Fig. 



of development being most conspicuous in the bee itself 



this shall be taken as an example. 



The upper lip, or labrum (fig. 6, b), and the mandibles, 



or upper jaws (c c) of the 

 bee resemble those of other 

 biting insects. The mandi- 

 bles are of various forms in 

 the several genera (as will 

 be shown in chap, xix., but 

 are always strong, horny, 

 biting jaws). The maxillae 

 or lower jaws (d d), how- 

 ever, of the bee, entirely lose 

 their jaw-like character, and 

 become long, thin, membra- 

 nous plates (always bearing 

 the maxillary palpi,*) and 

 fulfil the office, when drawn 

 together, of a sheath to the 

 tongue. This tongue, or 

 ligula (g), is a long, slender, 



Face of neuter hive-bee, magnified. 

 a, clypeus ; b, labrum ; c, man- 

 dibles ; d, maxillae ; e, labium ; 

 /, labial palpi ; g, ligula of the 

 labium. 



hairy organ, growing on a fleshy base, and is, in fact, 

 a prolongation of the " labium " (e e), the fleshy base 

 being sometimes called the " mentum," and on each 

 side of the tongue (as the organ is here called, having 

 altogether lost its lip-like character) the two labial 

 palpi (//) are found. Besides the palpi, the tongue is 

 furnished with two slender filaments, called paraglossse 

 (napa, near, yAwac-a, the tongue), which are found also 

 in some other biting insects. The tongue of the bee, 



* The maxillary palpi and paraglossse are not shown in this figure, but 

 may be seen in that of Anthophora retusa, in the twelfth chapter. 



