BEE. 447 



fancied that an egg conld not be fecundated till it were of the full 

 size, and ready for exclusion. It is a fact, however, ascertained 

 beyond controversy by M. Hubert, that " a single copulation is suf- 

 ficient to impregnate the whole of the eggs that a queen will lay in 

 the course of at least two years. I have even reason to think," he 

 adds, " that a single copulation will impregnate all the eggs that she 

 will lay during her whole life ; but I want absolute proof for more 

 than two years." 



On the wonderful instinct of bees M. Huber is duly cautious. He 

 resolves all into what Shakespeare calls a u ruling nature ;" and 

 disapproves both of Reaumur for ascribing wisdom and foresight to 

 them, and of Buffon for considering them as mere automata. 



The instinct of such queens as lay only the eggs of drones, or 

 whose fecundation has been retarded, seems to be impaired : they 

 shew no antipathy to royal cells, but pass quietly over them with- 

 out indicating any emotion, while other queens exhibit the greatest 

 enmity against those of their own sex that are in the nymphine state. 

 Swammerdam had asserted, that if the wings of queens be cut, they 

 are rendered sterile. This appeared rather strange and improbable. 

 M. Huber accordingly found, that the cutting of the wings of im- 

 pregnated queens produced no effect on them; and he concludes, 

 certainly with great probability, that Swammerdam had cut the 

 wings of virgin queens, who had not therefore been able to seek t he- 

 males in the air, and so remained barren. The amputation of one 

 antenna, M. Huber found, had no bad eftect on a queen ; but when 

 deprived of both, she was much deranged : she dropped her eggs at 

 random; and when the bees fed her, she often missed her aim in 

 attempting to catch hold of the morsel they presented to her. M. 

 Huber placed two queens deprived of the antennas in the same hive : 

 the loss of their feelers seemed to have put an end to their natural 

 ^animosity; they passed and repassed each other without taking the 

 least notice. Both of them constantly endeavoured to leave the 

 hive. M. Huber declares, that he cannot say whether the antennas 

 be the organ of touch or of smell ; but he suggests that they may 

 probably fulfil both functions at once. It seems fully as possible 

 that they are the instruments of a peculiar sense, of the nature 

 of which we have no conception, and for which, consequently, we 

 have no name. 



We have already hinted that M, Huberts leaf-hive might be em- 



