316 



COLLEGE ZOOLOGY 



of every leg (Fig. 239) bears a pair of notched claws (an) which 

 enable the bee to obtain a foothold on rough surfaces. Between 

 the claws is a fleshy glandular lobule, the pulvillus (pv), whose 

 sticky secretion makes it possible for the bee to cling to smooth 

 objects. Tactile hairs are also present (fh). 



The middle, or mesothoracic legs (Fig. 238, D), are provided 

 with a pollen-brush (b), but, instead of an antenna cleaner, a 

 spur (s) is present at the distal end of the tibia. This spur is 



used to pry the pollen out of the pollen 

 baskets on the third pair of legs, and to 

 clean the wings. 



The metathoracic legs (Fig. 238, A and B) 

 possess three very remarkable structures, 

 the pollen basket, the wax pinchers (wp 

 in B), and the pcllen combs (at p in B). 

 The pollen basket consists of a concavity 

 in the outer surface of the tibia with rows 

 of curved bristles along the edges (/fin A). 

 By storing pollen in this basket-like struc- 

 ture, it is possible for the bee to spend 

 more time in the field, and to carry a 

 larger load at each trip. The pollen 

 basket in cross-section is shown in 

 Figure 238, G. The pollen combs (at p 

 in B) serve to fill the basket by combing 

 out the pollen, which has become entangled in the hairs on the 

 thorax, and transferring it to the concavity in the tibia of the 

 opposite leg. At the distal end of the tibia is a row of wide 

 spines; these are opposed by a smooth plate on the proximal end 

 of the metatarsus. The term wax pinchers (wp in B) has been 

 applied to these structures, since they are used to remove the 

 wax plates from the abdomen of the worker. 



The wings are membranes supported by hollow ribs called 

 nerves or veins. The pair of wings on one side of the body may 

 be joined together by a row of hooklets on the anterior margin of 



Fig. 23g. — Foot of 

 the honey-bee. an, claw ; 

 fh, tactile hairs; pv, pul- 

 villus; t, tarsal segments 

 (From Packard, after 

 Cheshire.) 



