80 



Description of Drones. 



flight is more heavy and lumbering than that of the workers. 

 The-r ligula, labial palpi and maxilla; — like the same in the 

 (jueen bee — are short, while their jaws (Fig. 24, a) possess 

 the rudmientary tooth, and are much the same in form as 

 those of the queen, but are heavier, though not so strong as 

 those of tlie workers. Their ej'es (Fig. 4) are very prominent, 

 meet above, and thus the simple eyes are thrown forward. 

 Their jjosterior legs are convex on the outside (Fig. 20), so, 

 like the queens, they have no polleji baskets. The drones are 

 without the defensive organ, having no sting, while their 

 special sex-organs (Fig. 12) are not unlike those of other 

 insects, and have already been sufficiently described. 



Fig. 20. 



Fig. 19, 



Drone Bee, magnijkd. 



Pari of Leg of Drone, rnagmfiea, 



t— Tibia. 



/)— Broadened tibia and iMsal tarsus. 



Z.^— Joints of Tarsus. 



c— Claw.s. 



It was discovered by Dzierzon, in 1845, that tlie drones 

 hatch from unimpregnated eggs. This strange phenomenon, 



