14 
BEHAVIOE OF HONEY BEE IN POLLEN COLLECTING. 
ACTION OF THE MIDDLE LEGS. 
The middle legs are used to collect the pollen gathered by the 
forelegs and mouthparts, to remove free pollen from the thoracic 
region, and to transport their load of pollen to the hind legs, placing 
most of it upon the pollen combs of these legs, although a slight 
amount is directly added to the pollen masses in the corbiculse. Most 
of the pollen of the middle legs is gathered upon the conspicuous 
brushes of the first tarsal segments or plantse of these legs. 
In taking pollen from a foreleg the middle leg of the same side is ex- 
tended in a forward direction and is either grasped by the flexed fore- 
leg or rubbed over the foreleg as it is bent downward and backward. 
In the former movement the foreleg flexes sharply upon itself until 
Pig. 5. — A flying bee, showing the manner in which the forelegs and middle legs manipu- 
late pollen. The forelegs are removing wet pollen from the mouthparts and face. The 
middle leg of the right side is transferring the pollen upon its brush to the pollen 
combs of the left hind planta. A small amount of pollen has already been placed in 
the baskets. (Original.) 
the tarsal brush and coxa nearly meet. The collecting brush of the 
middle leg is now thrust in between the tarsus and coxa of the fore- 
leg and wipes off some of the pollen from the foreleg brush. The 
middle leg brush is then raised and combs down over the flexed fore- 
leg, thus removing additional pollen from the outer surface of this 
leg. The middle leg also at times reaches far forward, stroking down 
over the foreleg before it is entirely flexed and apparently combing 
over with its tarsal brush the face and mouthparts themselves. 
When the middle leg reaches forward to execute any of the above 
movements the direction of the stroke is outward, forward, and then 
back toward the body, the action ending with the brush of the leg in 
contact with the long hairs of the breast and with those which spring 
