ANATOMY UF THE BEE. 



17 



31. Antennae. — The antennas, or feelers (Fig-. 3, a) are 

 cylindrical organs inserted dose to each other m the front of 

 h H k'^' ^ '^'^- ^^^ covered with hairs ; and, articulated to the 

 tread by a hemispherical joint controlled bv three muscles, 

 they can be moved about rapidly in everv direction. They are 

 made up of twelve joints each in the worker and the queen, 

 and of thirteen joints in the drone (Fig. 4). The antenna; give 

 to the bee a power akin to that of speech ; and, by their motions, 

 form a language in which wants and desires can be communi- 

 cated. 



■*r> h/i. 



Fig. 4 



LONGITUDINAL SECTION OF DRONE ANTENNA. 



Nerve Structurea removed (magnified twenty times). 



A, «c. Scape; fl, Flagellum ; 1, 2, 3, etc., No. of Joints; o/, Antennary Fosaa, 



or Hollow; tr. Trachea; m. Soft Membrane; wh, ^Vebbed Hairs; Im, Levator 



Muscle; dm. Depressor Muscle. B, Small portion of Flagellum (magnified sixty 



times) — n. Nerve; a, Articulation, or Joint. 



32. Organs of Mouth. — The organs of the mouth include 

 the following : — The mandibles or jaws (Fig. 3, m) situated one 

 on either side of the labrum. Their movement is lateral. They 

 are provided with hairs, are exceedingly powerful, and, in the 

 rjueen and drone only, are rough and notched. The labrum 

 or upper lip (shown above g, Fig. 3), moves vertically. The 

 epipharynic, or g-um flap (;;) has a covering of white membrane 

 exceedingly delicate, and is brought into use when liquids are 

 being taken up by the tongue, as explained below. The 

 maxillce, or second jaws (?nx) are hollowed out, are supplied 

 with very stiff hairs, and, in conjunction with the labial palpi, 

 form a tube in which the tongue works ; they bear a short pair 

 of maxillary palpi, or feelers (mxp). A third pair of jaws — 

 second maxillce, are fused together so as to form a labium, or 

 under lip, beneath the opening of the mouth, consisting of a 



