HISTORY AND PHYSIOLOGY. 45 



experiments lie found that the queens were never im- 

 pregnated as long as they remained in the hive ; but 

 that impregnation always takes place in the open air, 

 whilst on the wing, at a time when the heat and 

 brightness of the day have induced the drones in 

 large quantities to issue from the hives, on which oc- 

 casion the queen soars high in the air, love being the 

 motive for the only distant journey she ever takes. 



" The rencontre and copulation of the queen with 

 the drone takes place exterior to the hive," says 

 Lombard, " and whilst they are on the wing. They 

 are constituted in a similar manner with the family 

 of flies. The dragon flies copulate as they fly through 

 the air, in which state they have the appearance of 

 a double insect." 



Bevan says : "I was myself an eye witness of the 

 following circumstances of the humble bee. A con- 

 joined pair descended obliquely and rapidly through 

 the air, making a loud buzz, and alighted near me. I 

 placed a tumbler glass over them, and observed their 

 proceedings for about twenty minutes, when they 

 became disunited, but with considerable difficulty, 

 and not without an angry scuffle. Having kept them 

 together for two days, feeding them occasionally, I 

 could not perceive any further advances on either 

 side, but rather aversion. At the end of this time 

 the drone, or male, died, but the queen, or female, 

 lived, and appeared lively for many days ; when I 

 finally gave her her liberty, she flew gaily away." 



This occurrence of Bevan's proves very clearly that 

 the humble bee is impregnated on the wing. It is 



