THE AMERICAN APICULTURIST. 



255 



way down into the cell, only the 

 head and part of the thorax show- 

 ing (llie part below the wings l)e- 

 ingalsoin thecell),and with wings 

 crumpled against the comb, she 

 presented a comical appearance. 

 She remained motionless for a min- 

 ute or so, not turning partly around 

 as does a queen. Caught her before 

 she could mix with the bees. She 

 would not sting. Handled her and 

 rolled her in my fingers with impu- 

 nity for several minutes and she only 

 protruded her sting as a queen will. 

 Finally, she stung me just as I was 

 putting her in a cage. Then I al- 

 lowed her to run on the comb. 

 Could tell her by her having lost a 

 sting. Bees paid little attention to 

 her, but I observed a faint show 

 of extra respect in the way of feed- 

 ing, etc. The cell I took her from 

 was literally sprinkled with eggs, 

 but so was ever3^ other cell near. 

 Opening another time, I found an- 

 other fertile worker in the act of 

 laying. She was as long about it as 

 the one before seen. When she fin- 

 ished, I saw her drop two eggs after 

 leaving thecell as you will often see 

 a queen do when she is laying rapid- 

 ly. Tills was the only missing link 

 needed to complete the proof. This 

 one I also caught. I induced her 

 to sting me sooner than I did the 

 other. Both of them were just like 

 other bees. They seemed past their 

 prime and were faded and gray 

 looking. Were Cyprian hybrids. 

 As I said at the outset, this will 

 be of interest or entirely wortliless 

 according to whether it has or has 

 not been often seen before. Have 

 not read of it myself, hence I send 

 it for you to do with as you please. 

 Gonzales^ Cal. 



[The above is not new but interest- 

 ing. We have seen worker bees iu the 

 act of laying eggs, and others have re- 

 ported the same experience]. 



For the American Apiculiurist. 



PLAINNESS IN COMPOSI- 

 TION, ETC. 



G. W. Demareb. 



To write plainly is a talent of 

 higher order tliaii to write elegantly. 

 No one can hope to make himself 

 understood in all things by all who 

 may read his writings. What ap- 

 pears quite plain to one person, 

 may be obscure and perplexing to 

 another. The fault then is not al- 

 ways with the vvrvter. 



In both law and theology men 

 dispute over the obscurity of lan- 

 guage. Were I to take up Brother 

 Porter's article and criticise it, I 

 could point out as much ambiguity 

 in the language he uses in his crit- 

 icisms as he has pointed out in my 

 article. But all this would be of 

 no earthly use, just as I think 

 Brother Porter's criticism was of 

 no use to anybody. In modern 

 bee phraseology, a hive without 

 frames or combs is properl}' spoken 

 of as being " empty," and if any- 

 body understood me otherwise it 

 was Mr. Porter. I had just said 

 that the combs were removed from 

 the " old hive " to the " new " one, 

 and " the now empty old hive." 

 Empty of what? Wiiy ! empty of the 

 combs of brood that I had just re- 

 moved. The grammar itself shows 

 this too clearly for any one ac- 

 quainted with plain English to mis- 

 take it. But there is one point that 

 brother Porter has raised that needs 

 explanation, as it may raise doubts 

 in the minds of some persons who 

 have not studied the economy of 

 tiie bee hive. Following the rZt;-eci 

 depletion jJ^^m, of preventing after 

 swarms as practised by me, Mr. 

 Porter asks, "What is to peo[)le the 

 new hive and take care of its brood ?" 

 I might answer the question by 

 saying, " try it and see." But I 

 might have asked this question my- 



