THORAX AND LEGS. 1 33 



blunder ; while Cook, who has taken many of the illus- 

 trations in Part I. of his Manual from Duncan, con- 

 tinues to the present hour to publish the error. 

 Surely, after eleven editions, the time has come for 

 breaking the spell, and giving the queen her own 

 legs back again. But, seriously, it is a pity when 

 authors become so fashionable as to slavishly follow 

 the antique. Doubtless, they are saved much time 

 and trouble ; but their readers are wronged if they 

 are made to devote their time to obsolete fiction, 

 and unchecked mistakes, when they are led to 

 believe they are studying modern research. 



I shall not again refer to Professor Cook's book, 

 nor should I have done so at all, had not the 

 interest of scientific apiculture demanded it. 



In comparing the legs of queens, workers, and 

 drones, it is worthy of remark that the queen has by 

 far the largest set, as she is a great walker, constantly 

 perambulating the combs. The drone depends little 

 upon his legs, and so he, notwithstanding his greater 

 weight, carries smaller ones even than those of the 

 worker. They are also but little specialised, their 

 principal peculiarity lying in the hairs of the smaller 

 tarsal joints (t, A, Fig. 24), which, in his case, are 

 heavy, and, instead of being simple, are strongly 

 webbed, so as to assist him, as indicated at page 

 121. The curious adaptations already observed, where 

 none were formerly suspected, makes it certain that 

 future investigations must greatly increase our ad- 

 miration of such an inconsiderable matter as the leg 

 of a bee. 



