36 EGGS LAID BY FERTILE WORKERS 
that in some cases, at any rate, the eggs do produce 
young. Dewitz even maintains! that the workers 
habitually lay eggs, and explains the difference which 
on this view exists between the workers of ants and 
those of bees, on the ground that (as he supposes) the 
majority of ants die in the autumn, so that the eggs 
laid by the queens alone would not be sufficient to 
stock the nest in the spring; while among bees the 
majority survive the winter, and consequently the eggs 
laid by the queen are sufficient to maintain the num- 
bers of the community. In reply to this argument, it 
may be observed that among wasps the workers all 
perish in the autumn, while, on the contrary, among 
ants I have proved that, at least as regards many 
species, this is not the case. Moreover, although eggs 
are frequently laid by workers, this is not so often the 
case as Dewitz appears to suppose. Forel appears to 
have only observed it in one or two cases. In my 
nests the instances were more numerous; and, indeed, 
I should say that in most nests there were a few fertile 
workers. 
Among bees and wasps also the workers are occa- 
sionally fertile ; but, so far as our observations go, it is 
a curious fact that their eggs never produce females, 
either queens or workers, but always males. The four 
or five specimens bred by Forel from the eggs of 
workers were, moreover, all males. 
Tt became therefore an interesting question whether 
' Zeit. 7. niss. Zool., vol. xxviii. p. 536. 
