1880. ] The Tongue of the Honey Bee. 277 
appear even though the funnel does not touch them. From this 
observation, as well as the structure of the organ—if I am right 
in believing that the slit in the rod opens on the surface—we can 
but conclude that the slit in the rod, no less than the funnel, may 
be the door whereby liquids pass to the tube. If Mr. Hyatt is 
right in thinking that the dorsal band of the rod is muscular, we 
can readily see from its position and the form of the red, how the 
slit might be opened. If the liquid is very thick the bees are 
seen frequently to retract the ligula and then extend it, as if to 
clear the organ by scraping it between the maxilla and palpi. 
While sipping honey the bee performs a kind of respiratory 
movement with the abdomen. This shows that the force of suc- 
. tion comes partly, if not wholly from the stomach, which organ 
is situated in the abdominal cavity. The tongue is also retracted 
and extended rythmically while the bee is sipping. The tip 
passes alternately back and forth from its greatest distance from 
the mentum to the end of the palpi. This movement may be 
something analogous to swallowing. 
I am not certain as to the function of the membranous sack. 
I have found that if I killed a bee by compressing its thorax, 
very soon after it commenced to sip the colored liquid, that the 
latter was always in the stomach but not in the sack. If I waited 
longer I found the sack also partially filled. This leads me to 
conclude that it acts as a storehouse, enabling the bee to carry a 
load beyond the capacity of its stomach. It also appears glandu- 
lar, when distended, so possibly it secretes an animal juice or fer- 
ment which aids in changing cane sugar into glucose or grape 
Sugar ; for we find upon analysis that pure cane sugar after pass- 
ing through the stomach of the bee has partially undergone this 
transformation. 
After the bees have sipped the colored liquid, I find invariably 
that the tip of the tongue—the small portion where the slit in the 
sheath seems obscure, and where the rod seems more firmly 
attached to the sheath, is highly colored, as though full of liquid. 
Possibly the sac does not extend into this portion, and the tube © 
may be larger in this part. By a little pressure the liquid is 
made to pass out of this portion of the tube, either through the 
funnel or slit, perhaps both. = cou 
I have measured hundreds of tongues, under the microscope, 
with the camera lucida, and have been much interested to observe 
