40 HISTORY AND PHYSIOLOGY, 



principal laying in April and May : there is also 

 another great laying in August. Early in Novem- 

 ber the laying usually ceases. Reaumur states 

 the number of eggs laid by a queen in two months 

 at double the amount of Huber's calculation ; viz. 

 200 a day, on an average. This variation may 

 have arisen from variety of climate, season, or 

 other circumstances. A moderate swarm has been 

 calculated to consist of from 12,000 to 20,000, 

 which is about a two months' laying. Schirach 

 says that a single queen will lay from 70,000 to 

 100,000 eggs in a season. This sounds like 

 a great number; but it is greatly exceeded by 

 some other insects. The female of the white 

 ant extrudes not less than 60 eggs in a minute, 

 which gives 3600 in an hour, 86,400 in a day, 

 2,419,200 in a lunar month, and the enormous 

 number of 211,449,600 in a year. Though she 

 does not lay all the year probably, yet, setting the 

 period as low as possible, her eggs will exceed 

 the number produced by any other known animal 

 in creation. 



If the impregnation of a queen be by any means 

 retarded beyond the 20th or 21st day of her life, 

 a very extraordinary consequence ensues. Instead 

 of first laying the eggs of workers, and those of 

 drones, at the usual period afterwards, she begins 

 from the 45th hour to lay the latter, and lays no 

 other kind during her whole life. It should seem 



