80 A DREADFUL PARASITE 



if it be a male subject, the hairiness of the face 

 is diminished, the white colour is often reduced 

 or absent, and the hairiness of the legs is 

 increased. 



Before the effects of the parasite were recog- 

 nized, several new species were described simply 

 on specimens of unusual appearance in conse- 

 quence of its presence. 



These effects, however, like the effects pro- 

 duced on the activity of the bee, vary exceed- 

 ingly in extent. On some the parasite seems 

 to have no effect, in others the alteration in 

 appearance is very great. This, again, is pro- 

 bably due to the position of the parasites and 

 to the pressure they exert on the reproductive 

 organs of the body in the larval state. 



