OlONKRAL CHARACTERISTICS. 21 



aims of progressive bee-keepers, should be to raise bees with 

 longer tongiu's. This ciui undoubtedly be done sooner or 

 later, by oaroful selection, in the same way that all our do- 

 mestic plants and animals have been imi)roved in the past. 

 For this, }niticnce and tiiiie are required. 



60. The thorax is the intermediate part of the body. It 

 is also called " corselet." It is formed of three rings sol- 

 dered into one. Each of the three rings bears one pair of 

 legs, on its under side ; and each of the last two rings bears 

 a pair of wings, on its upper side ; making four wings and 

 six legs, all fastened on the thorax. 



6 1 . Each leg is composed of nine joints (B, Plate IV), the 

 two nearest the body (c, tr) being short. The next three 

 are the fenuir (/), tibia (li), and planta (p) also called 

 metatarsus. The last four joints form the tarsus (f) or foot. 



53. The last joint of the tarsus, or tip of the foot, is pro- 

 vided with two claws {uii, fig. 12), that cling to objects or 

 to the surfaces on which the bee climbs. These claws can 

 be folded, somewhat hke those of a cat (A, fig. 12), or can 

 be turned upwards (B, fig. 12) when the bees are hanging 

 in clusters. "When they walk on a polished surface, like 

 the pane of a window, which the claws cannot grasp, the 

 latter are folded down; but there is between them a small 

 rubber-lilce pocket, pulvillus (^pv. A, B,) which secretes a 

 sticky, " clammy " substance, that enables the bee to cling- 

 to the smoothest surfaces. House-flies and other insects 

 cling to walls and windows by the same process. It was 

 formerly asserted that insects cling to the smooth surfaces 

 by air suction, but the above explanation is correct, and you 

 can actually see " the footprints of a fly " on a pane of glass, 

 with the help of a microscope, remnants of the " clammy " 

 substance being quite discernible. By this ingenious ar- 

 rangement, bees can walk indifferently upon almost any- 

 thing, since wherever the claws fail, the pulviUi take their 

 place. 



