ACTION OF FOEELEGS AND MOUTHPARTS. 13 
(b) The second pair of legs remove scattered pollen from the 
thorax, more particularly from the ventral region, and they re- 
ceived the pollen that has been collected by the first pair of legs. 
(c) The third pair of legs collect a little of the scattered pollen 
from the abdomen and they receive pollen that has been collected 
by the second pair. Nearly all of this pollen is collected by the 
pollen combs of the hind legs, and is transferred from the combs to 
the pollen baskets or corbiculse in a manner to be described later. 
It will thus be seen that the manipulation of pollen is a succes- 
sive process, and that most of the pollen at least passes backward 
from the point where it happens to touch the bee until it finally 
reaches the corbicula? or is accidentally dislodged and falls from the 
rapidly moving limbs. 
ACTION OF THE FORELEGS AND MOUTHPARTS. 
Although the pollen of some plants appears to be somewhat sticky, 
it may be stated that as a general rule pollen can not be successfully 
manipulated and packed in the baskets without the addition of some 
fluid substance, preferably a fluid which will cause the grains to 
cohere. This fluid, the nature of which will be considered later, 
comes from the mouth of the bee, and is added to the pollen which 
is collected by the mouthparts and to that which is brought into con- 
tact with the protruding tongue and maxilla?, and, as will appear, 
this fluid also becomes more generally distributed upon the legs and 
upon the ventral surface of the collecting bee. 
When a bee is collecting from the flowers of corn the mandibles are 
actively engaged in seizing, biting, and scraping the anthers as the 
bee crawls over the pendent stamens. Usually, but not always, the 
tongue is protruded and wipes over the stamens, collecting pollen 
and moistening the grains thus secured. Some of the pollen may 
possibly be taken into the mouth. - All of the pollen which comes in 
contact with the mouthparts is thoroughly moistened, receiving more 
fluid than is necessary for rendering the grains cohesive. This 
exceedingly wet pollen is removed from the mouthparts by the fore- 
legs (fig. 5), and probably the middle legs also secure a little of it 
directly, since they sometimes brush over the lower surface of the 
face and the mouth. In addition to removing the very moist pollen 
from the mouth the forelegs also execute cleansing movements over 
the sides of the head and neck and the anterior region of the thorax, 
thereby collecting upon their brashes a considerable amount of pollen 
which has fallen directly upon these regions, and this is added to the 
pollen moistened from the mouth, thereby becoming moist by contact. 
The brushes of the forelegs also come in contact with the anterior 
breast region, and the hairs which cover this area become moist w T ith 
the sticky exudation which the forelegs have acquired in the process 
of wiping pollen from the tongue, maxillae, and mandibles. 
