IV. 



HER HONEY-SAC. 



WHAT do you suppose becomes of 

 the nectar Miss Apis gathers with 

 her hairy tongue ? She swallows it, you 

 say, and that is true. She does swallow it, 

 but that is not the end of the story. When 

 it is swallowed, it passes into a little honey- 

 sac which is not as large as a. 

 sweet-pea seed, and which is' 

 so delicate that it looks like a little soap- 

 bubble. 



This honey-sac is in the big end of the 

 abdomen, and in the picture it is shown by 

 a dotted circle. It holds less than a drop of 

 nectar, and we may call it the jug or bottle 

 in which Miss Apis carries the blossom 



nectar home; for she does not swallow 

 41 



