26 THE BEE. 



though I am unable altogether to concur in his con- 

 clusions. He described a group of minute pits at the 

 base of the tongue of the bee, and considered them 

 as the organs of smell. It seems to me, however, more 

 probable that they serve as organs of taste. Forel * 

 also is disposed to regard these as constituting, perhaps, 

 the most important part of the organ of taste, but con- 

 siders that this sense resides also in certain organs 

 scattered over the tongue and the maxillae. Will 

 regards the maxillae and tongue as the only organs of 



Fig. 25.— Taste-organ of the bee (after Wolff). B, Horny ridge; R,R, sensory pits; 

 C, C, skin of the mouth ; L, muscular fibres ; A, A, muscular fibres ', S, S', ah c 

 d ef, section of skin of oesophagus. 



taste in the bee. He maintains f that the organs of 

 Wolff are deficient in the first requisite of an organ of 

 taste, for that there is no orifice through which the food 

 could directly enter into relation with the nerve. 



No doubt, moreover, the taste-organs on the 

 tongue and maxillae might be of themselves suffi- 

 cient, so that a priori we need not seek for any 

 others. At the same time, as to the existence of the 



* "Sensations des Insectes," J?ecem7. ZooZ. Suisse, 1887. Kraepelin 

 also regards them as the organ of smell. 



t Will, " Das Geschmacksorgan der Insekten," Zeit. fur Zool, 1855. 



