124 Use of the Antenna Cieanet'i 



That this organ is an antenna cleaner is quickly seen h\ 

 watching a bee — preferably a bumble-bee — come from n 

 tubular flower, like that of the malva, or by placing a honey- 

 bee, bumble-bee or wasp on the inside of a window-pane 

 and dusting its antennee with flour or pulverized chalk. 

 The insect at once draws its antennae, one and then the other, 

 through these admirable dusters, till the organs are entirely 

 free from the dust. The bee in turn cleans its antenna 



Fig. 44. 



Anterior Le^ of Worker Bee, 



C Coxa. T Trochanter. 



F Femur. Ti Tibia. 



I 2 3 4 S Tarsal joints in CI Claws, 

 order. 



cleaners by scraping them between the inner brush-like 

 faces of the basal tarsi of its middle legs, which is done 

 each time after they are used to clean an antenna. The 

 paper-making wasps, and I presume all wasps, clean these 

 organs by passing them between their jaws, much as a 

 child cleans his fingers after eating candy, except here lips 

 take the place of jaws. We can hardly conceive of a better 



