THE SEXES OF EGGS. 11 



Letter First. 



" Mount Eadfoed, Exeter, 

 22(i! Sept. 1869. 



" My dear Mr Pettigrew, — I liold that the eggs of 

 bees when laid are of two sexes, male and female, and 

 that no after-treatment can alter their sex. 



" Male eggs invariably hatch into drones whether laid 

 in drone or worker cells, or even when laid in royal cells. 

 Female eggs as invariably hatch into females, either per- 

 fect or imperfect — i.e., queens or workers — according to 

 the mode in which they are reared. 



" That workers are females is proved by the fact that 

 they sometimes lay eggs, which, however, aiways hatch 

 into males. That the sex of eggs is unchangeable is de- 

 monstrated by the fact that those laid by workers or by 

 certain queens (usually called drone-breeders) can never 

 be developed into females, either perfect or imperfect, by 

 any course of treatment. 



" I have often had recourse to the plan you describe by 

 placing drone-combs in the brood-nest, when wanting 

 Italian drones, feeding liberally at the same time, and, if 

 other circumstances were favourable, seldom failed in my 

 object. This, however, only shows that if extraordinary 

 facilities be afforded, the laying of drone eggs may be pro- 

 moted and increased, not that the sex of eggs is changed. 

 —Tours ever, j_ y^ Woodbury." 



The next letter is well written, and is very suggestive 

 and comprehensive. He was requested to confine his re- 

 marks to the eggs of healthy timely-impregnated queens, 

 and td remember that drone-breeding queens and fertile 

 workers were abnormal, and therefore not to be discussed 

 in these letters. 



