ORGANS OF TASTK 281 



Plateau, F. Une experience sur la fonction des antennes chez la Blatte (Peri- 

 planeta orientalis). (Comptes rend. Soc. Ent. de Belgique, 1886, pp. 118- 

 122, 1 Fig.) 



Lubbock, J. On some points in the anatomy of ants. (Monthly Micr. Journ., 

 1887, pp. 121-142.) 



Ruland, Franz. Beitrage zur Kenntniss der antennalen Sinnesorgane der Insek- 

 ten. Uiss. Marburg, 1888, p. 31, 1 Taf. 



Wasmann, E. Die Fiihler der Insekten. (Stimmen aus Maria-Laach. Frei- 

 burg i. B., 1891, p. 37.) 



Sergi, G. Ricerche su alcuni organi di senso rielle antenne delle formiche. 

 (Riv. Filos. Sci. Milano, 1891, p. 10, 3 Figs.) 



Nagel, Wilibald. Die niederen Sinne der Insekten, 19 Figs., Tubingen, 1892, 

 pp. 67. 



With the writings of Baster, Lamarck, Cuvier, Treviranus, Oken, Lefebure, 

 Dume"ril, Schelver, Bonsdorf, Rosenthal, Burmeister, Slater, Balbiani, Marcel 

 de Serres, Gamier, Berte", Porter, Sazepin, Renter, Pierret, Duponchel, 

 Driesch, Kiister, Peckham, Lubbock, A. Dohrn, Lespes. 



c. The organs of taste 



The gustatory organs of insects are microscopic pits or setae, 

 either hair-like or resembling short pegs, which form the ends of 

 ganglionated nerves. They are difficult to distinguish morphologi- 

 cally from certain olfactory structures, and it is owing to their 

 position at or very near the mouth that they are supposed to be 

 gustatory in nature. 



Meinert was the first (1860) to suggest that organs of taste 

 occurred in ants. He observed in the maxilla and tongue of these 

 insects a series of canals in the cuticula of these organs connected 

 with ganglion-cells, and through them with the nerves, and queried 

 whether they were not organs of taste. Forel afterwards (1874) 

 confirmed these observations. Wolff in an elaborate work (1875) 

 described a group of minute pits (Fig. 284) at the base of the tongue 

 of the honey bee, which he supposed to possess the sense of smell, 

 but Forel and also Lubbock attributed to these sensory pits the 

 function of taste. Ten years afterward Will showed conclusively, 

 both by anatomical studies and by experiments, that Diptera and 

 Hymenoptera possess gustatory organs. He, however, denied that 

 the organs of Wolff were gustatory, and maintained that organs of 

 smell were confined to the maxillae, paraglossae, and tongue. As we 

 shall see, however, what appear to be with little doubt taste-pits, 

 with hairs or pegs arising from them, are most numerous on the 

 epipharynx of nearly all insects, and situated at a point where they 



