ACTION OF FORELEGS AND MOUTHPAETS. 13 



(b) The second pair of legs remove scattered pollen from the 

 thorax, more particularly from the ventral region, and they re- 

 ceived the pollen that has been collected by the first pair of legs. 



(c) The third pair of legs collect a little of the scattered pollen 

 from the abdomen and they receive pollen that has been collected 

 by the second pair. Nearly all of this pollen is collected by the 

 pollen combs of the hind legs, and is transferred from the combs to 

 the pollen baskets or corbiculse in a manner to be described later. 



It will thus be seen that the manipulation of pollen is a succes- 

 sive process, and that most of the pollen at least passes backward 

 from the point where it happens to touch the bee until it finally 

 reaches the corbiculse or is accidentally dislodged and falls from the 

 rapidly moving limbs. 



ACTION OF THE FOEELEGS AND MOUTHPABTS. 



Although the pollen of some plants appears to be somewhat sticky, 

 it may be stated that as a general rule pollen can not be successfully 

 manipulated and packed in the baskets without the addition of some 

 fluid substance, preferably a fluid which will cause the grains to 

 cohere. , This fluid, the nature of which will be considered laterj 

 comes from the mouth of the bee, and is added to the pollen which 

 is collected by the mouthparts and to that which is brought into con- 

 tact with the protruding tongue and maxillssj and, as will appear, 

 this fluid also becomes more generally distributed upon the legs and 

 upon the ventral surface of the collecting bee. 



When a bee is collecting from the flowers of corn the mandibles are 

 actively engaged in seizing, biting, and scraping the anthers as the 

 bee crawls over the pendent stamens. Usually, but not always, the 

 tongue is protruded and wipes over the stamens, collecting pollen 

 • and moistening the grains thus secured. Some of the pollen may 

 possibly be taken into the mouth. All of the pollen wliich comes in 

 contact with the mouthparts is thoroughly moistened, receiving more 

 fluid than is necessary for rendering the grains cohesive. This 

 exceedingly wet pollen is removed from the mouthparts by the fore- 

 legs (fig. 5), and probably the middle legs also secure a little of it 

 directly, since they sometimes brush over the lower surface of the 

 face and the mouth. In addition to removing the very moist pollen 

 from the mouth the forelegs also execute cleansing movements over 

 the sides of the head and neck and the anterior region of the thorax, 

 thereby collecting upon their brushes a considerable amount of pollen 

 which has fallen directly upon these regions, and this is added to the 

 pollen moistened from the mouth, thereby becoming moist by contact. 

 The brushes of the forelegs also come in contact with the anterior 

 breast region, and the hairs which cover this area become nloist with 

 the sticky exudation which the forelegs have acquired in the process 

 of wiping pollen from the tongue, maxillae, and mandibles. 



