the tongue with a drop of water on a glass 

 slide and cover with a thin glass, and then 

 look at it through the compound microscope, 

 with a magnifying power of eighty diameters, 

 we can readily see the liquid pass back and 

 forth in the tube as we press with a pencil on 

 the thin glass cover. As Mr. Chambers states, 

 this tube at the base of the funnel is only one 

 five-hundredth of an inch in diameter. We 

 now understand why bees are so long in load- 

 ing their stomachs, when gathering from small 

 tubular flowers, as then this minute tube is the 

 only avenue by which the bee secures the 

 nectar. We can also well understand why 

 they gather so much faster from some flowers 

 than from others. In the one case they secure 

 the liquid sweet through both the channels 

 above described, in the other, when the honey 

 is scarce or deep down in small tubular 

 flowers, they can only use this microscopic 

 tube. 



We also note the admirable construction of 

 the tongue, which permits it to probe these 

 tiny flowers, and also see the advantage of 

 even a little additional length in this impor- 

 tant and wonderful organ. 



I also believe that bees lap up the honey. 

 If we spread a thin layer of honey on a glass, 

 and permit the bees to visit it, we shall see 

 the bees wipe it up with their ligulae. Fine 

 drops disappear even though the funnel does 

 not touch them. From this observation, as 

 well as the structure of the organ — if I am 

 right in believing that the slit in the rod opens 

 on the surface — we can but conclude that the 

 slit in the rod, no less than the funnel, may be 

 the door whereby liquids pass to the tube. If 

 Mr. Hyatt is right in thinking that the dorsal 

 band of the rod is muscular, we can readily see 

 from its position and the form of the rod, how 

 the slit might be opened. If the liquid is 

 very thick the bees are seen frequently to re- 

 tract the ligula and then extend it, as if to 

 clear the organ by scraping it between the 

 maxillae and palpi. 



While sipping honey the bee performs a 

 kind of respiratory movement with the abdo- 

 men. This shows that the force of suction 

 comes partly, if not wholly, from the stomach, 

 which organ is situated in the abdominal cav- 

 ity. The tongue is also retracted and ex- 

 tended rythmically while the bee is sipping. 

 The tip passes alternately back and forth 

 from its greatest distance from the mentum to 

 the end of the palpi. This movement may be 

 something analogous to swallowing. 



I am not certain as to the function of the 

 membranous sack. I have found that if I 

 killed a bee by compressing its thorax, very 

 soon after it commenced to sip the colored 

 liquid, that the latter was always in the stom- 

 ach but not in the sack. If I waited longer I 

 found the sack also partially filled. This 

 leads me to conclude that it acts as a store- 

 house, enabling the bee to carry a load beyond 



the capacity of its stomach. It also appears 

 glandular, when distended, so possibly it se- 

 cretes an animal juice or ferment which aids 

 in changing cane sugar into glucose or 

 grape sugar ; for we find upon analysis that 

 pure cane sugar after passing through the 

 stomach of the bee has partially undergone 

 this transformation. 



After the bees have sipped the colored 

 liquid I find invariably that the tip of the 

 tongue — the small portion where the slit in the 

 sheath seems obscure, and where the rod 

 seems more firmly attached to the sheath, is 

 highly colored, as though full of liquid. Pos- 

 sibly the sack does not extend into this portion 

 and the tube may be larger in this part. By 

 a little pressure the liquid is made to pass out 

 of this portion of the tube, either through the 

 funnel or slit, perhaps both. 



LENGTH OF TONGUE IN DIFFERENT RACES. 



I have measured hundreds of tongues, 

 under the microscope, with the camera lucida, 

 and have been much interested to observe the 

 wondrous uniformity in length where the bees 

 were from the same colony or from the same 

 apiary, especially if close breeding had been 

 practiced. Tongue after tongue would show 

 a variation of less than .025 of an inch. I 

 have found the length of the American black 

 bee's tongue to average about .24 of an inch 

 in length, from the base of the mentum to the 

 tip of the ligula. American-bred Italian bees 

 I have found, when measured by the same 

 scale, to have tongues .02 of an inch longer. 

 Some bees, said to be Cyprians, but closely 

 resembling our black bees, except 'that the 

 down on the thorax was a little more yellow, 

 I have found to possess tongues a little shorter 

 than those of our American Italians, though 

 the average is but very little less. I have ex- 

 amined bees' tongues from workers reared 

 from two different imported Italian queens, 

 and found that in both cases they exceeded in 

 length those of our American-bred bees, 

 though the difference is very slight. 



In 1878 I measured the tongues of some 

 bees, sent me for Cyprians. The bees were 

 very yellow and beautiful. I found them to 

 possess the longest tongues I have ever met, 

 but there was very great variation. I had 

 but few bees, and sent for more, which never 

 came. I had arranged the present season for 

 bees of the various European races, and had 

 been promised specimens; but greatly to my 

 regret and disappointment, the bees have failed 

 to come, so I have to make" this but a partial 

 report. 



That the added length is of practical impor- 

 tance I have proved as follows : Honey in a 

 vessel covered with line gauze was placed be- 

 fore Italians till they ceased to eat, because 

 the honey was beyond reach. The vessel was 

 then placed before black bees, which failed to 

 reach the fluid. The vessel was then filled 



