26 



PHySIOLOGY OF THE HONEY-BEE. 



wings. Thus united, they present to the air a stronger sur- 

 face and give the bees a greater power of flight. No doubt, a 

 single pair of wings of the same surface would have better 

 attained the desired aim, but their width would have annoyed 

 the bees m going inside of the cells, either to feed the larvte 

 or to deposit supplies. Imagine a blue fly trying, with its 

 wide wings, to go inside of a cell! 



WINGS OF THE HONEY BEE. 



(Magnified. From Cheshire.) 



A, anterior wing, under side ; p^Pj plait. 



B, posterior wing, under side ; h,h, booklets. 



C, cross-section of wings through line, a^&j showing booklets in plait. 



61. "Mr. Gaurichon has noticed that when the bees fan, 

 or ventilate the entrance of the hive, their wings are not 

 hooked together as they are in flight, but act independently 

 of one another." (Dubini, 1881.) A German entomologist, 

 Landois, states that, according to the pitch of their hum, the 

 bees' flight must at times be equal to 440 vibrations in a sec- 

 ond, but he noticed that this speed could not be kept up with- 

 out fatigue. It is well known that the more rapid the vibra- 

 tions, the higher the pitch. 



63. Digesting Appaeatus.— The honey obtained from the 

 blossoms, after mixing with the saliva (41), and passing 



