126 



BEES AND BEE-KEEPING. 



flour, when it is offered to them as artificial pollen 

 (see Artificial Pollen), and why, also, they so earnestly 

 clean their legs from all dust. The pulvilli are 

 cleared by rubbing the tarsi together, when the 

 pulvillus is drawn over their abundant hairs, which 

 are, in part, brushes provided for this very purpose. 

 Dredging flour over a bee will start at once this 

 movement, tiny pellets being dropped during the 

 operation, while the tongue is now and again out- 

 stretched to supply saliva. Thus, the bee is able, 

 not only to clean itself, but to pack such a dry, 



Fig. 26.— Bee's Foot in Climbing, Showing Automatic Action of 

 Pulvillus (Magnified Thirty times). 



A, Position of Foot in Climbing Slippery Surface, or Glass— pi;, Pulvillus; fh, 

 Feeling Hairs ; an, Anguiculus, or Claw ; t, Tarsal Joint. B, Position of 

 Foot in Climbing Rough Surface ; lettering as before. C, Section of Pulvillus 

 Just Touching Flat Surface— cr, Curved Rod. D, Same Applied to the Surface. 



unadhesive substance as pea flour, in beautiful pellets, 

 on its hind legs. 



We have seen that the pulvillus cannot be used 

 without loss of material. It is, besides, exceedinglv 

 delicate, and easily injured by any roughness, so that 

 it is doubly desirable not to bring it into play where 

 the claws would take effect. I find all this is secured 

 by a most striking automatic arrangement. B, Fig. 26 

 represents the pulvillus in its rest position, pointing 

 backwards, as it stands between the claws. If the 

 bee is ascending a rough surface, the points of the 



