OF ARTS AND SCIENCES : JANUARY 9, 1866. 



77 



Drone Cells. — These are liable to substantially the same variations 

 as the worker cells. Reaumer observed that they were larger by one 

 ninth in one diameter than in another.* Four pieces of drone comb 

 gave the following measurements. 



L, IL, III., in the above table, indicate the diameters drawn per- 

 pendicularly to the three pairs of sides of the hexagons, and series 1, 

 2, 3 indicate measurements of cells made from three portions of each 

 comb. Ten cells were measured in each case. 



In comparing all of the above measurements, it is found that the 

 smallest aggregate diameter of any ten cells is 2.36 inches, and the 

 largest, 2.80 inches, making an extreme difference of 0.44 inch, or the 

 diameter of a drone and almost that of a worker cell in addition. The 

 greatest variation in any one series was 0.21, or a little more than four 

 ■fifths of the diameter of a drone cell, which is somewhat less than the 

 quantity given by Reaumer. 



The following measurements from twelve consecutive rows of cells, 

 of ten each, from the middle of a piece of drone comb, show the pro- 

 gressive variation from one row to another. 



* Op. cit., Tom. V. p. 398. 



