Glands of Meckel and Ramdohr. 115 
is shed when the alimentary canal is molted with the last 
larval skin. It has been suggested that the difference which 
Dr. Planta and others find in the composition of the larval 
food of worker, queen and drone larve is wholly due to 
this partially digested pollen which is withheld from the 
inchoate queen. 
There are also large compound racemose glands (Fig. 
38 4) in the head and also a similar pair (Fig. 38 c) in the 
thorax which are the modified spinning glands of the larva 
These four glands unite into a common duct which passes 
Fic. 39. 
Faw of Worker showing Wolf's gland, after Wolf. 
M Muscles. G Gland. 
3 Jaws. 
through the mentum and opens just at the base of the 
tongue on top in the groove between the paraglosse (Fig. 
36 C). The thoracic glands were discovered by Ramdohr 
in 1811, while Meckel also discovered the second pair of 
cephalic glands, these are the upper head glands; Schiemenz 
is probably correct in thinking that these glands, which 
are present in all bees, are for digesting the nectar. The 
cane sugar of nectar is certainly digested or changed into 
the more osmotic and assimilable glucose-like sugar of 
honey. Very likely these compound racemose glands 
supply the digestive ferment which accomplishes this part 
of digestion. As honey is not always fully digested, the 
drones and queens, as well as the workers, possess these 
glands. 
