86 



MK. T. J. BRIANT ON THE 



The ends are as it were pierced with a bole of comparatively con- 

 siderable size, and tbe edge of each hole is bent inwards. A 

 band of elastic tissue runs from the inner edge of the bent-in 

 part of one hole to the inner edge of the bent-in part of the 

 other, and thus connects the parts together by a joint which, 

 while allowing of movement in every direction, yet does not in 

 any way compress the tube. The segments 2 and 3 do not appear 

 to be moveable upon one another. 



I do not find any muscles regulating the movements of these 

 segments ; nor can I discover, from anything I have at present 

 seen, that the Bee ever voluntarily moves thetn upon one another. 



The ofiices these organs fill in the economy of bee-life, evidently 

 all-important to the Bee, is a matter of much mystery ; it seems to 

 be scarcely a matter of dispute, for no one appears to have settled 

 the question to his own satisfaction ; but a close examination of the 

 flagellum discloses certain hairs and pits, found chiefly on the 

 front of the antenna, which must be accounted for in any theory 

 which may be put forward. They were noticed for the first time 

 by Dr. J. Braxton Hicks ; and his communications are to be found 

 in vol. xxii. of the ' Transactions of the Linnean Society,' pp. 148 

 and 388. He seems, however, to have confined his attention to 

 the markings appearing on segments in the middle of the flagellum. 



Fiq 4. 



Fi9^- Fiff.6. 



\f ' i . 1// 



Fig. 4. Sectional view of the articulation of antenna: a, bridge; h, c, and d 



indicate the position of the insertion of the muscles. 

 Fig. .5. Part of a segment of antenna near the end, showing oval markings ; 



a, the group of openings leading to the tubular structure shown in fig. 8, a. 

 Fig. 6. Diagrammatic section of the structure shown in fig. 5. 



The cup at the base of the scape is furnished with hairs which 

 spring apparently from the bottom of pits, and radiate in all 

 directions. Similar hairs are also to be found on the second 

 segment. Erom not finding any nerve-structure intimately con- 

 nected with these hairs, and also from finding hairs of a similar 

 description in some parts of the sting, I conjecture that their 

 office is merely mechanical, and that they serve to keep the 



