GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS. 23 
(v, C, E, H) fastened to the tibia, or upper large joint. 
The learned Dr. Dubini, of Milan (L’Ape, Milan, 1881), 
speaks of it as being used to cleanse the antenne and the 
tongue of the pollen that sticks to them. Mr. Cheshire 
thinks it is used only to cleanse the antennze, from the fact 
that this notch, which has teeth like acomb (F, Plate IV), is 
found as well in the queen and the drone as in the worker, 
and that its aperture corresponds exactly to the different 
sizes of the antenna of each sex. (H, Plate IV.) 
56. The second pair of legs have no notch, but the lower 
D 
Fig. 13. 
POSTERIOR LEGS. 
(Magnified. From Maurice Girard.) 
A, of the queen; B, of the worker (under side); C. of the worker (upper 
side); D, of the drone. 
extremity of the tibia bears a spur (D s, Plate IV) or spine, 
which is used in loosening the pellets of pollen, brought to 
the hive on the tibias of the posterior legs (PlateIV). This 
spur also helps in cleaning the wings. 
57. The posterior or hind legs are very remarkable, in 
several respects. Between the tibia and the metatarsus 
(B, wp, Plate lV) they have an articulation, whose parts close 
like pincers, and which serves to loosen from the abdomen 
the scales of wax to be mentioned further on (201). As 
neither the queen nor the drone produces wax, they are des- 
titute of this implement. 
