HISTORY AND PHYSIOLOGY. 41 



apprehend no reasonable doubt can exist of the truth 

 of worker bees raising perfect prolific queens from any 

 eggs that would have produced workers, or of rear- 

 ing workers from any eggs that would have produced 

 a queen ; for I am fully satisfied that but two kinds 

 of eggs are ever found in a hive of bees, moth eggs 

 excepted. The one may be found in drone cells, 

 which will produce only drones ; the other may be 

 found in the worker cells, and will produce only 

 females, either partially or fully developed, as circum- 

 stances may seem to suggest to the instinct of the 

 bees. 



I have adverted to Mr. Quinby's experiments, and 

 his position with reference to the rearing of queens 

 from eggs laid in worker cells, or artificial queens, if 

 you please, from no unkind motives, or with a view 

 to detract from his merits as an author, but to ex- 

 plain, if possible, the cause of his failure, and thereby 

 prevent others from falling into the same error. 



Bevan says: "Bees, when deprived of their queen, 

 have the power of selecting one or more worker 

 eggs, or grubs, and converting them into queens; 

 thus showing that there is no inherent difference in 

 female ova to effect this. Each of the promoted 

 eggs or grubs has a royal cell or cradle formed for 

 it, and it is liberally supplied with royal jelly; this 

 royal jelly is a pungent food, prepared by the work- 

 ing bees exclusively for the purpose of feeding such 

 of the larva as are destined to become candidates for 

 the honors of royalty, whether it be their lot to assume 



them or not ; it is more stimulating than the food of 

 4* 



