1896 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



423 



Fred had recovered now so that he could 

 arise and converse; and, giving his name by 

 way of introduction, he briefly narrated the 

 events of the past few hours, and the cause of 

 his present saturated condition, and concluded 

 with the remark that, but for the interposition 

 of the young lady, he might have failed to 

 reach the shore. 



"Sure, sure," said the gentleman, several 

 times during the rehearsal. At its conclusion 

 he said, "My name Is Clarence Buell. And 

 now, Mr. Anderson, your clothing is in such a 

 soaking condition you must come to the house 

 with me and we will fix you out In dry clothing." 



While walking along the river-bank, Mr. 

 Buell expressed his admiration for the firm 

 stand Fred had made against the drunken 

 miners; "and, though you received a ducking, 

 it is much better than to surrender your man- 

 hood. My sympathies are with any one who 

 suffers through the evils of intemperance. You 

 have observed the condition of my daughter. 

 Her illness was caused by the drunkenness of a 

 piloton a steam-tug in San Pablo Bay. We lived 

 In Oakland. Alfaretta was attending the Uni- 

 versity; but one day during vacation herself 

 and a few gentleman and lady students were 

 sailing on the bay when one of those little pro- 

 pellers came in collision with their boat and 

 capsized it. Other boats were near, and all 

 were rescued; but as they were about to rescue 

 Alfaretta a floating spar struck her head and 

 rendered, her insensible. She was taken from 

 the water, brought home, and remained in a 

 stupor for many days. When she did regain 

 consciousness her intellect seemed to be shat- 

 tered, and has remained so until the present. 

 We moved out here a few months ago, hoping the 

 quietness and the freedom here enjoyed would 

 result in an improvement; but the only change 

 we can see is the better and more vigorous 

 bodily health." 



When they approached the house Mr. Buell 

 led Fred into a bath-room, supplying him with 

 necessary garments from his wardrobe until 

 his own could be dried. As Mr. Buell was of 

 aldermanic proportions, and Fred was slim, he 

 presented a generally mussed- up appearance 

 when presented to Mrs. Buell. The misfit 

 caused smiles all around, and smiles and good 

 cheer were what the house most needed; for 

 the condition of the daughter rendered the 

 home as sad as though there were crape on the 

 door. 



^ ■ — ^ 



EGGS, AND THEIR POSITION IN THE CELL. 



SOME OBSERVATIONS FROM HERR VOGEL AND 

 OTHERS. 



By Friedmaiin Oreiner. 



Mr. Editor:— My postal, addressed to Dr. Mil- 

 ler, although intended as a personal reply, has 

 found its way into the columns of Gleanings 



(page 347). I am somewhat sorry that I wrote 

 under the impulse of the moment; but I am 

 glad the matter has by this means been brought 

 out more prominently. I was not aware that 

 the egg-transfer theory was generally accepted 

 as a fact. Daniel Fleisher's observations are 

 certainly very singular. Such a wholesale 

 transferring stands without a parallel in all 

 bee history. It is hard to see why his bees 

 should have done so, or, in fact, what necessity 

 there is for bees ever doing so. If bees possess 

 this faculty, why do they not make use of it 

 oftener? I have time and again given brood- 

 combs, with eggs or brood in all stages, to 

 queenless and broodless colonies; but I must 

 confess that moving eggs or larvEe has, at the 

 least, escaped my observation. Of course, a 

 thousand testimonies in the negative lose all 

 their power against a single one in the affirma- 

 tive, and I am obliged to give up— but still I 

 doubt. 



In what Dr. Miller quotes from Cowan I fail 

 to see wherein Cowan tries to convey the idea 

 that a bee's egg is changed in position every 24 

 hours, perhaps as a hen might root over her 

 eggs. If Cowan made his observations at inter- 

 vals of 24 hours, then quite naturally he would, 

 state that he found the eggs at such and such 

 positions at these times. Had he made his ob- 

 servations at shorter or longer intervals, his 

 report might have been different; for, as I look 

 at the matter, the change is a gradual one, and 

 one without the direct interference of the bees. 

 Speaking of this process, Vogel says, in Bieyien- 

 zeitung of 189.5, page 9, in substance: 



"The egg, when just laid, stands at nearly 

 right angles to the cell-bottom, with the lower 

 pole cemented to this. It is thus held so it may 

 be evenly subjected to the influence of the sur- 

 rounding warmth. I have taken the pains to 

 cut out eggs with some adhering wax (working 

 with a very fine knife one sometimes succeeds 

 without spoiling the egg). Such removed eggs, 

 whfen again placed in other cells, were prompt- 

 ly removed; when placed in an incubator, never 

 hatched, although the embryo was fully devel- 

 oped. Other eggs, when placed in the same 

 incubator, but left as deposited by the queen, 

 hatched out every time. 



"The egg, after thirty hours of incubation, 

 has declined toward the cell-bottom by 45 de- 

 grees. The nucleus, around which the forma- 

 tion of the embryo begins, is located nearer the 

 upper pole of the egg. making this end the 

 heavier, the power of gravitation causing the 

 decline. After an elapse of another 30 hours 

 the egg lies flat on the cell-bottom, but is still 

 securely held by the cement until the embryo 

 bursts the shell, when the workers remove all 

 fragments." 

 Naples, N. Y., May 11. 



[I have little to add in addition to what I 

 have already said on page 347; but I wish to 



