ZOOLOGY AND BOTANY, MIOEOSOOPY, ETC. 427 



labium from the fusion of galea and inter-maxilla, and notes the frequent 

 presence in the palp of a fourth basilar joint, which is the evident 

 equivalent of the palpiger in the first maxillje. 



Labrum of Hymenoptera.* — M. J. Chatin reports that, when 

 simplest, as in Larra, the labrum has the form of a small horny plate, 

 constricted in its middle, and bordered with closely-packed long hairs. 

 After pointing out the various modifications which this part undergoes, 

 the author remarks that the labrum always gives evidence of the 

 presence of a median groove, and this, with the occasional possession 

 of paired and symmetrical appendages, confirms the view that it is 

 originally double, and that it has a close relationship to the other 

 buccal parts. In the more complicated forms there is a basal piece 

 due to the coalescence of the two sub-maxillse which have fused along 

 the middle line, while the central piece represents the two maxillro. 

 When present, the two lateral appendages are to be regarded as filamentar 

 palps, which are not directly attached to the maxillary, but have an 

 ovoid button at their base which may be regarded as a palpiger. The 

 central tubercle, when analysed, is seen to be formed of several pieces 

 which correspond to the galefe and the intermaxillaries. The funda- 

 mental constitution of the labrum of two lateral pieces first enunciated 

 by M. B. Blanchard, is confirmed by the study of the Hymenoptera. 



Structure and Movements of Sting of Bee.f — M. G. Carlet 

 reports that fine sections of the sting of the bee reveal the presence 

 of a central longitudinal canal, the possession of which increases the 

 solidity without adding to the weight of the organ ; similarly there is 

 an increase in size which allows of the teeth of the stylet being 

 sufficiently divaricated (these teeth are useful as assuring the inocula- 

 tion of the poison by retaining the sting in the wound) ; along the 

 whole length of the stylet there extends an external groove, the 

 section of which is narrower at its commencement than in the middle ; 

 the apparatus is so disposed that the stylet glides along easily without 

 leaving its proper course, and the cleft which separates the two stylets 

 is very narrow. 



Morphology of Mouth-organs of Lepidoptera.|— Herr A. Walter 

 points out that the enormous number of species of Lepidoptera has 

 been a great obstacle in the way of correctly understanding the 

 morphology of their mouth-organs. If we consider the general typo 

 of insect mouth-organs we find it to consist of an unpaired labrum, 

 lateral mandibles with horny teeth, and two pairs of maxillte. The 

 first of these pairs consists of two joints, cardo and stipes, with a many- 

 jointed palpus maxillaris, and, sometimes, an additional squama 

 palpigcra ; internally are the inner and outer mala. The second pair 

 of maxillae have their basal parts fused to form a labium, the cardines 

 forming the submentum, and the stipites the mentum ; from the latter 

 arise the palpi labiales ; the inner malae form the ligula, the outer 

 the " palps," The remaining parts are unpaired, and are the epi- 

 pharynx formed by the upper, and the hypopharynx formed by the 



* Comptes Rendus, cii. (1886) pp. 632-4. f Ibirl., ci. (1885) pp. 89-90. 



J Jenaisch. ZeitBchr. f. Naturwias., xix. (1885) Siippl. i., pp, 10-27. 



2 F 2 



