■4 



MOUTH OF WASP. 



[chap. 



Fig. 12 represents the mouth parts of a bee, Prosopis 

 (Fig. 13), seen from below ; m d being the mandibles ; 

 pm, the palpi of the maxillae la, 

 pi, those of the lower lip. 



The bees belonging to this 

 genus construct their cells in 

 sand, or in the centre of dry 

 bramble^ sticks, lining them with 

 a transparent mucus, which they 

 smooth down with their trowel- 

 like lower lip (Fig. 12 li), and 

 which hardens into a thin mem- 

 fjg. 12.— Front part of head of branc (Smith "Catalogue of 



Prosopis, seen from below, ._^ . _-. ,, 



with the mouth-parts ex- Bnt. Hymenoptcra, p. 7). 



tended, pa, paraglossse ; //, ,_, , , . _ 



liguia ; pi, labial palpi ; /«., 1 hat the mouth of Prosopis 



maxillary palpi ; mi, men- i i i ■ 



turn; St, stipes; m,i, man- probably represents the condi- 



dibles ; c, cardo ; o, eye. 



tion of that of the ancestors of 

 the Hive-bees, before their mouth-parts underwent spe- 

 cial modifications, may be inferred from the fact that 

 the same type occurs in allied groups, as is shown in 

 Fig. 14, which represents the mouth of a wasp (Folistes) 



Fig. J3.-Prosopis. Fig. i4.-Mouth-parts of Polistes. 



also seen from below. We may therefore consider 

 that Prosopis shows in this respect no special adap- 

 tation for the acquirement of honey, and in fact 



