to generate a Qiieen. 607 



they were the housewives of the hive. If these female eggs 

 were deposited in the larger cells, then the issue was the large 

 mother bees or queens ; the female working bees copulated 

 with the males, and the produce then was nothing but drones : 

 these he considered as a kind of abortion, and of no sex what- 

 ever. The latter hypothesis was, however, proved to be false, 

 by anatomical examination of the insect ; and, therefore, the 

 republic of bees was changed by some individuals into a kind 

 of amazonian state, in which the drones, which had hitherto 

 been considered as devoid of sex, were admitted to the rank of 

 males or husbands. This thebry found many adherents ; but 

 it was soon exploded, to make room for another, by Heinmetz, 

 which, on account of its ingenuity, was adopted by many, as 

 it seemed to clear away several of those obscurities in which 

 the natural history of the bee had been hitherto enveloped. 

 He accordingly established a double genealogical tree of the 

 bee family. 



1. The queen, or the great mother bee, who copulates 

 with the male working bees as her lawful husbands ; and then 

 she lays, 



First, Male eggs, from which originate insects similar to 

 their sires. If these eggs be laid in large cells, the issue will 

 be great male bees, if the rudiments, the germ, and the capa**^ I 

 city to a great male bee be existing in the egg. But, however, 

 as only small male working bees are the issue, although they 

 may be bred in large cells, the conclusion must be drawn, that 

 in these male eggs the germ was only existing for small work- 

 ing bees of the male sex, and that from them no great m^le; 

 working bees were produced. 



Secondly, Female eggs. The issue of these eggs resembles 

 the mothers : and if they be laid in cells agreeably to their 

 nature, and are there bred and brought forth, it then follows 

 that the issue are great mother bees or queens. If, however, 

 these eggs be laid in cells not according to their nature, then 

 the issue will be small female bees ; and these are the mothers 

 of the drones. 



According to this genealogy, the working bees are partly 

 male and partly female, and are indebted to the queen for 

 their existence. On the other hand, the drones are begotten 

 by the mother drones according to the following genealogical ■ 

 scale : — 



The mother drones copulate with the male drones, and lay 

 no other eggs than the drone eggs. Those drone eggs remain, 

 fi^st, either from a want of a sufficient number of great cells, 

 or from a hidden natural instinct, or from a wise and esta- 

 blished view of the Creator, in small and contracted cells ; and 



