76 



THE AMERICAN APICULTURIST. 



has been recently mated, the whole 

 interior is densely clouded and 

 semi-opaque, since it is perfectly 

 filled with spermatozoa ; but as 

 older and yet older queens are op- 

 erated upon, the spermatozoa de- 

 crease in number, but instead of 

 being generally difi'used are gath- 

 ered into a tolerably compact 

 mass which lies near the aperture 

 of the spermatheca, the remainder 

 of the latter being filled with a 

 clear fluid as in virgin queens. 



This collection of spermatozoa 

 is seen by a J- in. objective to be 

 arranged in large, wavy, floccus- 

 like masses, the extremities of the 

 motile threads pointing towards 

 the aperture, while from its upper 

 surface spermatozoa are observed 

 to rise in different spots like mic- 

 roscopic eels, long and thin, curl- 

 ing and twisting with much grace 

 as they hold on by their tails. Af- 

 ter a few seconds they lapse into 

 quietude, to be in turn succeeded 

 by others, and in a warm room this 

 most curious set of movements 

 will long be continued, even though 

 several hours have been occupied 

 in dissecting the abdomen whence 

 the spermatheca had been taken. 

 It has been again and again as- 

 serted, as an echo of a bold guess 

 made long since in America, that 

 the narrower workeri" cell in which 

 worker bees are raised, by pressing 

 upon the abdomen of the queen, 

 was the effective means for the 

 forcing out of spermatozoa and so 



have merely ruptured the sac by pressure, 

 afterwards examining the expressed matter. 

 JO Honey comb consists of two-sized cells; 

 worker cells 4 in. in diameter and drone cells 

 \ in. in diameter. 



causing these eggs to be fertilized. 

 This notion, so repellent from its 

 bald crudity, could only be previ- 

 ously met by negative evidence, 

 and since there is no confidence 

 like the confidence of ignorance, 

 the error has died hard, and it is 

 worth while in this connection to 

 note that the closing valve of the 

 spermatheca, which we are pres- 

 ently to examine, having been 

 brought away in situ, holds so very 

 strongly, that the sac may be 

 squeezed flat in the compressorium 

 without driving out a single sper- 

 matozoon. The pressure increased 

 the delicate bag at length bursts, 

 and a true microscopical marvel 

 awaits us. The spermatozoa es- 

 cape in tufts, each containing hun- 

 dreds of thousands. These tufts 

 have a beautiful arrangement, re- 

 minding one of a girl's back hair 

 combed after plaiting ; but each 

 spermatozoon wriggles to be free, 

 and quickly they are widely spread, 

 curling and uncurling with a pecu- 

 liar snapping movement, and with 

 an energy that baffles description. 

 Their powers in a few minutes be- 

 gin to wane ; then one after the 

 other they take a form which with 

 a J- in. or even |- closely resembles 

 two 8's one over the other, sur- 

 rounded by a rather larger O. 

 When all have sunk to rest, this 

 singular pattern, repeated with 

 strange regularity, covers the field. 

 Let us suppose that a complete 

 spermatheca is now before us ; as 

 we turn it we get it into such a po- 

 sition that its outline is not unlike 

 the back of a man's head carrying 

 two large and prominent ears. 



