^i 



24 PHYSIOLOGY OF THE HONEY-BEE. 



fine ourselves to a short explanation of the uses which have 

 a direct bearing upon the work of the bee. 



The hairs of the front, or first, pair of legs (C, Plate 8), 

 are especially useful in cleaning the eyes and the tongue, and 

 gathering the pollen grams. 



55. On the metatarsus, the lower of the two largest joints 

 of these front legs, is a rounded notch (E, a, Plate 8), closed 

 when the leg is folded, by a sort of spur or velum, (y_, C, E, 

 H) fastened to the tibia, or upper large joint. The learned 

 Dr. Dubmi, of Milan (UApe, Milan, 1881), speaks of it as 

 being used to cleanse the antennae and the tongue of the pollen 

 that sticks to them. Mr. Cheshire thinks it is used only to 

 cleanse the antennae, from the fact that this notch, which has 

 teeth like a comb (F, Plate 3), is found as well in the queen 

 and the drone as in the worker, and that its aperture corre- 

 sponds exactly to the different sizes of the antennae of each 

 sex. (H, Plate 8.) 



56. The second pair of legs have no notch, but the lower 

 extremity of the tibia bears a spur (D, s, Plate 8) or spine, 

 which is used in loosening the pellets of pollen, brought to 

 the hive on the tibias of the posterior legs (Plate S). This 

 spur also helps in cleaning the wings. 



57. The posterior or hind legs are veiy remarkable, in sev- 

 eral respects. Between the tibia and the metatarsus (B, wp, 

 Plate 8) they have an articulation, whose parts close like 

 pincers, and which serves to loosen from the abdomen the 

 scales of wax to be mentioned further on (201). As neither 

 the queen nor the drone produces wax. tliey are destitute of 

 this implement. 



58. *'But the chief interest centers on the two joints last 

 mentioned (ti, p, A, B, Plate 8), as a device for carrying the 

 pollen of the blossom home to the hive. The metatarsus is en- 

 larged into a sub-quadrangular form, constituting a flattish 

 plate, slightly convex on both surfaces. The outer face (p, A, 

 Plate 8) is not remarkable, but the one next the body (p, B) is 

 furnished with stiff combs, the teeth of which are horny, 

 straight spines, set closely, and arranged in transverse rows 



