HISTORY AND PHYSIOLOGY. 41 



as if the rudiments of the workers' eggs withered 

 in the oviducts, but without obstructing the pas- 

 sage of the drones' eggs. The only known fact 

 analogous to this is the state of certain vegetable 

 seeds, which lose the faculty of germination from 

 age, whatever care may have been taken to pre- 

 serve them. This retardation seems to have a 

 singular effect upon the whole animal oeconomy of 

 the queen. " The bodies of those queens," says 

 Huber, " whose impregnation has been retarded, 

 are shorter than common ; the extremities remain 

 slender, whilst the first two rings, next the thorax, 

 are uncommoly swollen." Tn consequence of the 

 shortening of their bodies, their eggs are fre- 

 quently laid on the sides of the cells, owing pro- 

 bably to their not being able to reach the bottom ; 

 the difficulty is also increased by the two swollen 

 rings. .In these cases of retarded impregnation 

 and exclusive laying of drones' eggs, the prospe- 

 rity of the hive soon terminates ; generally before 

 the end of the queen's laying. The workers re- 

 ceiving no addition to their number, but on the 

 contrary, finding themselves overwhelmed with 

 drones, sacrifice their queen and abandon the hive. 

 These retarded queens seem to have their instincts 

 impaired ; for they deposit their eggs indiscrimi- 

 nately in the cells, whether originally intended for 

 drones or for workers, a circumstance which ma- 



