HISTORY AND PHYSIOLOGY. 31 



" It is an acknowledged fact that the queen-bee 

 never leaves the hive, on any account whatsoever.' * 

 Perhaps Huish's observations were made upon 

 first swarms ; and these, according to Huber, are 

 uniformly conducted by old queens. Swammer- 

 dam also made the same observation as to jirst 

 swarms being always led off by old queens. Old 

 queens have not the same occasion to quit the 

 hives that young ones have, viz. to have inter- 

 course with the drones ; for, according to Huber, 

 one impregnation is sufficient to fertilize all the 

 eggs that are laid for two years afterwards, at least. 

 He thinks it is sufficient to fertilize all that she 

 lays during her whole life. This may appear, to 

 some, an incredible period ; and Huish inquires, 

 admitting that a single act of coition be sufficient 

 to fecundate all the eggs existing in the ovaria at 

 the time, how those are fecundated which did not 

 exist there ? But when we consider that in the 

 common spider, according to Audebert, the ferti- 

 lizing effect continues for many years ; and that 

 the fecundation of the eggs of the female aphides 

 or green lice, by the males of one generation, will 

 continue for a year, passing, during that period, 

 through nine or ten successive generations of fe- 

 males, the causes for doubt will, I think, be greatly 

 diminished : at any rate we are not at liberty to 

 reject the evidence of facts, because we cannot 

 understand their modus operandi. With respect 



