278 The Tongue of the Honey Bee. [ April, 
the wondrous uniformity in length where the bees were from the 
same colony or from the same apiary, especially if close breeding 
had been practiced. Tongue after tongue would show a variation 
of less than .025 of an inch. I have found the length of the 
American black bee’s tongue to average about .24 of an inch in 
length, from the base of the mentum to the tip of the ligula. 
American-bred Italian bees I have found, when measured by the 
same scale, to have tongues .o2 of an inch longer. Some bees, 
said to be Cyprians, but closely resembling our black bees, 
except that the down on the thorax was a little more yellow, I 
have found to possess tongues a little shorter than those of our 
American Italians, though the average is but very little less. I 
have examined bees’ tongues from workers reared from two differ- 
ent imported Italian queens, and found that in both cases they 
exceeded in length those of our American-bred bees, though the 
difference is very slight. 
In 1878 I measured the tongues of some bees sent me for 
Cyprians. The bees were very yellow and beautiful. I found 
them to possess the longest tongues I have ever met, but there 
was very great variation. I had but few bees and sent for more, 
which never came. I had arranged the present season for bees 
of the various European races, and had been promised specimens, 
but greatly to my regret and disappointment, the bees have 
failed to come, so I have to make this but a partial report. 
That the added length is of practical importance I have proved 
as follows: Honey in a vessel covered with fine gauze was 
placed before Italians till they ceased to eat because the honey 
was beyond reach. The vessel was then placed before black bees, 
which failed to reach the fluid. The vessel was then filled and 
given first to the black bees, which worked tl the liquid was 
inaccessible, when it was placed before Italians. These would 
invariably commence to sip the honey. Again, a box one-half 
inch deep, without top or bottom, was covered with fine gauze 
having fifteen meshes to the inch. A glass was then placed in 
the box so inclined that while one end rested against the gauze 
the other was one-half inch from it. The glass was thinly spread 
with honey on the side next the gauze. This was placed ina 
hive of Italians, when the glass was cleaned of honey for a dis- 
tance of twenty-four meshes from the edge where the glass 
rested on the gauze. The black bees could only reach and only 
