loS The Worker Bees. 



the abortive ovaries (Fig. 33), are undeveloped females 

 Rarely, and probably very raiely except when a colon\ 

 is long or often qiieenk'^'^, as is frequently true of our nuclei 



Fig. 32. 



Worker-Bee^ Clutch nia<rnijiei1, 



these bees are so far developed as to produce eggs, which, 

 of course, Avould always be drone eggs. Such workers- 

 known as "fertile" — were first noticed by Riem, while 

 Huber saw one in the act of egg-laying. Paul L. Viallon 

 and others have seen the same thing often. Several fertile 

 workers, sent me by Mr. Viallon, were examined and the 

 eggs and ovaries (Fig. 34) were plainly visible. Leuckart 

 found, as seen in the figure, the rudiment of the spermatheca 

 in both the common and the fertile worker. Except in the 

 power to produce eggs, they seem not unlike the other work- 

 ers. Huber supposed that these were reared in cells contigu- 

 ous to royal cells, and thus received royal food by accident. 

 The fact, as stated by Mr. Quinby, that these occur in col- 

 onies where queen-larvas were never reared is fatal to the 



