108 BONEY, POLLEN, AND PROPOLIS. 



wipe so quickly that it leaves conjurors all far in the 

 shade.' This little notch is also used in the same 

 way for cleaning the antennae. How marvellous this 

 contrivance ! You see again how everything has an 

 object and use. 



/ 



Leg with notch, magnified. 



But then it has to get this sticky pollen from its 

 fore -legs into the pollen - baskets. How does it 

 manage this ? Well, between the pollen-gathering 

 legs and the pollen-basket legs are another pair, and 

 these play a very important part in the operation. 

 With the tongue, fore-leg, and middle leg,. the bee 

 pads up the pollen and honey until there is quite a 

 wad of it, and then, with a very quick motion, almost 

 too quick to be seen, carries this little cake, scarcely 

 so large as the head of a small pin, between the 

 middle and fore-leg, back to the pollen-basket. When 

 in place, it is firmly pressed, and then neatly patted 

 down with the middle leg, and so is ready to be 

 carried home.* 



The propolis is carried home by the bees in the 

 same way as pollen. The bees gather it chiefly from 

 the sticky buds of certain trees, such as the chestnut, 



* From Root. 



