The Antenna Cleaner. 123 



modified, and thus we see why the legs and mouth-organs 

 of the worker bees are so wonderfully developed. 



The abundant compound hairs on the first four jomts of 

 all the legs are very marked in the worker bees. These 

 are the pollen gathering hairs and from their oranching, 

 fluffy nature are well suited to gather the pollen grains. 



On the anterior legs the antenna cleaner (Fig. 43 )is 

 well marked, as it is in all Hymenoptera except the lowest 

 families where it is nearly or quite absent. In the honey- 

 bee — this is found in the queen and drone as well as in the 



Fig. 43. 



Antenna Cleaner of WorJcer Bee, 

 C Cavity S Spur. 



worker — this is situated at the base of the first tarsus and 

 consists of a nearly semi-cylindrical concavity (Fig. 43 c), 

 armed on the outer side with from seventy-eight to ninety 

 projecting hairs. These teeth-like hairs projecting as a 

 fringe form a very delicate brush. Extending from the 

 tibia is a blade-like organ — really the modified tibial spur 

 (Fig. 43 S") — which when the leg is bent at this joint, comes 

 squarely over the notch in the tarsus. Near the base on the 

 inside a projecting knob is seen which perhaps acts as a 

 strengthener. The part of this blade or spur that opposes 

 the notch when in use consists of a delicate membrane. In 

 other Hymenoptera this spur is greatly varied. Often, as 

 in the ants and mud-wasps, it is also delicately fringed. 

 Sometimes it has a long projecting point and is thickly set 

 with spinous hairs. 



