NATUBAL HISTOEY OF THK HONEY-BEE. 39 



and at once conjectured that this was a case of an unim- 

 pregnatod drone-laying queen, suflScient time not having 

 elapsed for her impregnation to be unnaturally retarded. 

 All necessary precautions were taken to determine this 

 point. The queen was removed from the hive, and 

 although her wings appeared to be perfect, she could not 

 fly. It seemed probable, therefore, that she had never 

 been able to leave the hive for impregnation. 



To settle the question beyond the possibility, of doubt, 

 I submitted this queen to Professor Leidy for microscopic 

 examination. The following is an extract from'his re- 

 port. " The ovaries were filled with eggs, the poison-sac 

 full of fluid ; and the spermatheca distended with a per- 

 fectly colorless, trapisparent, viscid liquid, without a trace 

 of spermatozoa." 



This examination demonstrates Dzierzon's theory that 

 queens do not need inipregnation to lay the eggs of males. 



Considerable doubt seemed to rest on the accuracy of 

 Dzierzon's statements on this subject, chiefly because of 

 his having hazarded the unfortunate conjecture that the 

 place of the poison-bag in the worker is occupied in the 

 queen by the spermatheca. Now this is so completely 

 contrary to fact (PI. XVIII., A, D,) that it was a natural 

 inference that this acute and thoroughly honest observer 

 made no microscopic dissections of the insects which he 

 examined. I consider myself peculiarly fortunate, in 

 having obtained the aid of a naturalist -so celebrated for 

 microscopic dissections as Dr. Leidy. 



On examining this same colony a few days later, I found 

 satisfactory evidence that these drone-eggs were laid by 

 the queen which had been removed. No fresh eggs had 

 been deposited in the cells, and the bees on missing her 

 had begun to build royal ceMs, to rear, if possible, another 

 queen; this they would not have done, if a fertile worker 



