Morphology of the Legs of Hymenopterous Insects. 199 
worker bees. It has been claimed that this is the lever with which 
the bee pries off the pollen mass into the cell ; but the fact that these 
are no more prominent than in other in- 
sects where there is no such function to be 
performed, and the fact that the stiff hairs 
which point outward at the ends of these 
and all the legs are better fitted for this 
work, gives reason to question the accu- 
racy of this view. On the inside of the 
first tarsal joint of the middle legs (Fig. 8) 
is a fine brush thickly set with hairs, _ x 
which, as we have already seen, is used 
to clean the antennæ cleaner, and, as I 
often noticed large masses of pollen adher- 
ing to this brush, I am led to the conclu- 
sion that these are hands or claspers that 
aid to bear the pollen to the baskets on 
the posterior legs. The lower or outer, 
hairs of this brush are spine-like and 
doubtless aid as already suggested in push- 
Ing the loads of pollen from the legs into 
the cells of the comb. 
Upon the first three joints of the pos- 
terior legs, the coxa, trochanter and femur 
(F 1g. 10) the soft, compound, polen gather- 
ing hairs are well shown. In the honey 
bee the tibia and first tarsus ars wonder- 
fully developed. On the outside (Fig. 
9) are cavities for holding the pollen. 
These shallow cavities, one in each of 
the joints, are bordered with course hairs, 
which serve as so many stakes to aid in 
holding the large pollen masses which the 
- bee is Often seen carrying to the hive. 
Opposite the concavity of the tarsal joint 
Fra. 9. 
(Fig. 10) on the inside are to be seen nine or ten rows of beautiful 
4 ellow hairs, which form as many combs or brushes, which serve 
© collect and transport the pollen from different parts of the bee 
to the pollen baskets, If a bee is captured while collecting pollen, 
