40 PHYSIOLOGY AND BKBEDING. 



this theory, he offers one, that, to me, appears still more 

 fallacious, and still more beset with difficulties. He states 

 as objections to Mr. Wagner's theory, first : " that the ab- 

 domen of the queen, where the sac is situated, is so small, 

 that when thrust even to the bottom of the worker's cell, 

 it cannot be sufficiently compressed to impregnate the egg 

 as represented, in passing its mouth." Again : " "When 

 the old queen is hived with a swarm, she commences lay- 

 ing eggs as cells are ready, and often lays in worker cells 

 when only one-eighth of an inch high. Is it possible that 

 the abdomen of the queen receives any pressure from the 

 sides of the cells whilst in the act of thrusting her ovipos- 

 itor into the cell to deposit the egg ?" He goes back to 

 the theory of periodical drone-egg laying, not to the ex- 

 tent of limiting it to two periods in the season, but to 

 certain periods. He says, in substance (I condense his 

 remarks on this point), that he thinks it highly probable 

 that the queen knows that an egg in a drone cell will bring 

 forth a drone ; knows when it is proper to raise drones, 

 etc. Who ever saw eggs laid in drone cells in mid-winter 

 or early in spring, until nearly time for swarming? Yet 

 all strong stocks raise brood from January until summer. 

 He has " cut holes in a worker comb and inserted corres- 

 ponding pieces of drone comb which remained empty 

 while all around would be filled with worker brood, etc., 

 proving that no drone eggs are laid until tliQ general 

 simultaneous laying of all strong colonies. He gives us 

 his concluding theory which I quote at length. 



MR. HARBISON'S THEORY. 



" At present, 1 shall content myself- with believing that 

 a sufficient portion of the seminal fluid to cause the egg 

 to germinate, is incorporated with it in its formation. The 

 eggs to produce drones or males are generated in, or pro- 

 duced from one side or branch of the ovaries, and those 



