2 Transactions of the Society. 



can be so easily and completely manipulated, it will be not only 

 more useful but more convenieut to concentrate our attention some- 

 what upon this member of the family Apidje. although no doubt 

 the facts to be introduced will apply with certain modifications to 

 every species in it. 



It must be remarked by way of introduction, that it has long 

 been known that a queen or mother bee is not doomed to total 

 sterihty if raised at a part of the year when drones (males) do not 

 exist, but that she, although later than at the normal period, 

 begins to deposit eggs, which, however, are in no instance converted 

 into workers, but invariably produce drones, which must be of course, 

 in this case at least, generated parthenogeuetically. Similarly, if 

 a queen of the Italian race {Apis Ligustica) which has consorted * 

 with an Itahan di'one be placed in a hive containing English bees 

 {Apis mellifica) only, and which is itself located in a neigh ])our- 

 hood where Italians are unknown, all her progeny, both workers 

 and drones, will to the end of her life continue pure, carrying 

 their characteristic yellow abdominal bauds and a thousand other 

 minor distinctive peculiarities ; but should she leave with a swarm 

 or die, the workei-s will raise a successor from one of her eggs. 

 The queen resulting must of necessity mate with an English 

 drone, and as a consequence the workers produced by her will 

 partake of the two races, exliibiting amongst themselves those 

 variations for which hybrids t are remarkable ; but her drones, on 

 the contrary, will still be absolutely Itahan ; again showing that 

 although their mother was impregnated, her impregnation had in 

 no way influenced tlieir generation, or that they as before come 

 from unfertilized eggs. Occasionally in the absence of a mother- 



of spermatheca and appendicular gland, o, common duct, p, common appen- 

 dicular duct. 1 1 t, right aud left appendicular ducts ^ith tubules. 



Fig. 6. — Oviducts, &c., of Queen Wasp ( Vespa vuhjark). O, ova in ovarian 

 tubes. O T, ovarian tubes. O D, O D, right and left oviducts. COD. common 

 oviduct, sp, spermatheca or receptaculum seminis. m g, mucous or appendicular 

 gland, r, ring to exteud ovarian tubes. 



Fig. 7. — Spermathecdl valve and glands of Qneen Wasp, m g, mg, mucous or 

 appendicular gland, sp, spermatheca with spermatozoa in situ, n, structureless 

 membrane. 6, secretive layer, c, elastic coat. J, outer wrinkled membrane. 

 e, aperture of spermatheca. /, closing muscle, g, common duct of mucous gland. 

 h i, muscle to extend ajierture of duct. ^, wide channel for spermatozoa to pass 

 upwards. /, narrow channel leading to point where eggs are fertilized, n, nerves 

 connecting spermatheca aud valve muscles, n', uerves of mucous gLmd. o p, 

 outer and inner ducts, f, duct aud tubules of mucous gland, t', tracheae of 

 spermatheca. 



Fig. S. — Spermatozoa from Queen "Wasp, length 200 /t, greatest diameter 0*4 /*. 

 a, extended, 6, coiled condition. 



* All bees mate but once. 



t The word hybrid is used here rather popularly than scientifically, and in 

 obedience to custom. No assertion that Apis mellifica and Apis Ligustica f.re 

 specifically distinct is conveyed. They may be merely well-marked varieties. 



