Natural History of Molluscous Animals, 61 1 



not so glaringly have exposed his ignorance of the internal 

 structure of the queen bee. 



The male eggs, according to Strube, are placed in the 

 small cells, and in the first part are bred working bees : the 

 female eggs, however, as soon as the bees have brooded some 

 of them in acorn-formed cells, become queens, which can 

 breed both sexes, and from them spring the principal race of 

 all the chief mother bees. The majority, however, of these 

 female eggs are placed in small cells, and are bred as degraded 

 queens. The remaining part of the working bees are those 

 which, in the end, are only able to breed drones. The fruc- 

 tification of the queen is performed by the male working bees, 

 and not by the drones : the drones, which are bred in the 

 middle of the month of May, derive their existence from the 

 degraded queens. The ovarium of these female bees cannot 

 properly develope itself in the small cells ; independently of 

 which, they are in their nature considerably weakened. The 

 impulse to breeding becomes thereby greatly moderated ; and 

 it is only in the warm months, that the freshness of the honey 

 and the heat of the hive instigate these weak imperfect 

 mothers to propagation. They mingle with the few drones 

 which are at this time to be found in the hive, and contribute 

 to the population of the republic. The eggs from *w7iich the 

 first drones arise are laid towards the end of autumn; and, as 

 during the nsointer they lie beyond the central heat of the hive, 

 they do not develope themselves before the spring. It is only 

 when there is a deficiency of male working bees that the 

 queen is fructified by the drones. 



(To be resumed.) 



AuT. V. Afi Introduction to the Natural History of Molluscous 

 Animals. In a Series of Letters. By G. J. 



Letter 10. On their Secretions, 



(Continued from p. 43.) 



This letter you may properly consider as a continuation of 

 the preceding (p. 8L); for the blood is the material out of 

 which not only the growth and repairs of animal bodies, but 

 likewise all the secretions, are directly derived ; the latter 

 obtaining their peculiar properties from differences in the 

 structure and action of the various glands or vessels through 

 which they percolate. 



I, The most important and general secretion of molluscous 

 animals is shell ; but I have already had occasion to write so 



R R 2 



