52 



GLEANINGS IN iJEE OULTUKE. 



.iAti. 



est branch of animals, ha\c the sexes in different 

 individuals. Nearly all the lower groups of ani- 

 mals possess hermaphrodites, or raonieclous forms. 

 Even worms and gasteropods are not exceptions. 

 Our angleworms and snails ine true hermaphrodites. 

 Each angleworm and siuiii lins both male and fe- 

 male organs. 



All vertebrates, or back-l)Oiie animals, and all 

 true insects, are bi-sexual SO fitr as scientists have 

 yet observed. True, so-called hermaphrodites ex- 

 ist among insects, vertebrates, and even mammals; 

 yet all such animals are really true males or true 

 females, though some of their organs or character- 

 istics seem to denote the opposite sex. Even the 

 human family has furnished such examples. Such 

 hermaphrodites among liees are not very uncom- 

 mon. I have several bees in ray possession which, 

 while ihey have the hciid and thorax of the worker, 

 have the abdomen of the drone, or vicf versa. Usu- 

 ally, if not always, the real sex of such bees is de- 

 noted by the abdomen. It the abdomen is that 

 of male, the testes, or male organs, will be present; 

 if that of a worker, the abortive ovaries may be dis- 

 covered by a careful dissection. 



A VERY CURIOUS BEE. 



The bee sent me through you by T. H. Kloer, 

 Terre Haute, Ind.,is a most wonderful and interest- 

 ing specimen. Here the apparent hermaphroditism 

 is bilateral. The right side is a drone, to all appear- 

 ance, while the left is as distinctly worker. The 

 right eye runs up to the middle, crowding the right 

 simple eye forward, while on the left the worker 

 eye is normal in size, position, and pubescence. 

 The right jaw is like a drone's in the little notch, 

 while the loft is distinctly that of a worker. The 

 same is true of the wings; the right one is broader 

 than the left; nor do the legs form an exception. 

 The pollen-gathering hairs are thicken the left legs, 

 while the right ones are in every respect drone- 

 like. The difference is very marked in the posterior 

 legs. The left hind leg shows the pollen-basket 

 with its rim of hairs, and the beautiful combs on 

 the inside; while the right leg is a simple drone's 

 leg and nothing more. As soon as time will per- 

 mit I will have drawings made of all these parts. It 

 would be very interesting to dissect this unique bee, 

 and see how its internal organism is constructed; 

 but it is so rare and valuable a specimen that it 

 seems a pity to mutilate it. Mr. K. says, though he 

 could see the sting, the bee showed no inclination 

 to use this organ, even though he pinched her. I 

 know of one case where a queen was so abnormal 

 that many of her bees were peculiar in exhibiting 

 the so-called hermaphroditism. It is lo he hoped 

 that Mr. K. will watch this colony closely loi- more 

 bees denoting this new and more strange modifica- 

 tion. 



This case is peculiarly interesting as bearing on 

 the Dzierzon theory. Why should half of the egg 

 develop into a drone, exteriorly, at least, while the 

 other half became a worker? Js it probably true, 

 that several sperm-cells usually enter the micropyle 

 of the egg to form a worker, and that in this case 

 only one, perhaps, entered, and so the egg could 

 become worker only in part? Even this suggestion 

 is far from being satisfactory, in view of the meth- 

 od of development in the animal egg. We know 

 that the egg-segments, and that the cells thus form- 

 ed, unite to form the primitive animal. Thus it is 

 dilficult to see how any such partial impregnation 

 could result in hermaphroditism. I wish lo praise 



Mr. K.'s keenness of observation. How few of us 

 look closely enough to discover such a rarity as 

 this wonderful bee! A.J.Cook. 



Agricultural College, Mich. 



AN AUSTRALIAN LETTER. 



the ra1'idt..y increasing resources of the 

 country; a i.,and for bees, etc. 



§INCE writing you last. I have packed up my 

 traps and removed from the colony of South 

 Australia to this, the adjoining colony. The 

 distance of the capitals from each other 

 (Adelaide and Melbourne) is .500 miles; the 

 route is either by water or rail— 40 hours in one 

 case and 18 in the other. South Australia, although 

 larger in area, is by no means so populous as Vic- 

 toria, and on that account is somewhat less ad- 

 vanced. Their populations are, relativelj-, 1,010,000 

 to 8(31,000. Victoria, as some of your readers may 

 know, is rich in gold, the discovery of which some 

 40 years since attracted a large and varied popula- 

 tion from all parts of the world, answering to the 

 corresponding events which took place in Califor- 

 nia. 



The excitement of those times is now fast be- 

 coming legendary, and the colony has settled down 

 to make the most of the good gifts which Provi- 

 dence has lavished upon it in other ways than gold. 

 While South Australia has been passing through a 

 severe time of ffnancial depression, which 1 sup- 

 pose is inseparable from young colonies with large 

 borrowing powers and still larger wants, Victoria 

 has fast been pushing ahead, developing her re- 

 sources, opening up every inch of country by rail 

 and otherwise, attracting capital from all parts, 

 increasing her population, and is now in a state of 

 "goaheadinoss" which is a pleasure to see. Main 

 frontages in Melbourne have recently brought up to 

 i'lOCO per foot, which speaks volumes. You will 

 not be surprised that, in view of these circum- 

 stances, I made up my mind to shift camp, which I 

 would have done sooner had I been able, seeing, 

 moreover, that Victoria enjoys a strong protective 

 policy which helps and fosters young industries. 

 This means that I, as a small manufacturer, am 

 placed on more equal terms Avlth you, a large one, 

 to enable me to compete while establishing my- 

 self; but possibly you don't see it in the same light. 

 One of our daily papers, in a recent article, stated 

 that the ordinary churchman's ideal of paradise 

 was "Peace on earth and trade with all mankind," 

 which, of course, represents importers and export- 

 ers. 



Finding that I could not dispose of my machinery 

 except at heavy loss in Adelaide, I resolved to pack 

 it up, trans-ship to Melbourne, pay the 2.5% duty 

 upon it upon entering Victoria, and re-erect it 

 when I could find a place suitable, which was no 

 easy task; but it being overcome, I then returned 

 to Adelaide to look after my little family there, 

 and some 60 colonies of bees, which were making 

 rapid preparation for the approaching spring. 

 These I packed by inserting half-inch slips of wood 

 between the end-bars, and wedging securely to- 

 gether, taking off covers and bottom-boards, and 

 coverina- with two thicknesses of cheese-cloth. 

 They had to be carted over a rough road 9 miles to 

 the port, and placed on board a steamer, which 

 work I superintended myself, as most of the cole- 



