THE BEE. 95 



to deposit eggs capable of producing young ones, as 

 soon as cells are prepared for their reception. First, 

 she deposits worker-eggs in worker-cells ; then drone- 

 eggs in drone-ceUs ; and finally, she oviposits in the 

 royal cells one or more eggs from which there pro- 

 ceed larvae that become queens, one of whom alone is 

 permitted to live and govern the hive, wlulst the old 

 queen takes her departure with a " swarm" composed 

 of drones and workers. 



This act of depositing the various eggs in their 

 respective cells the queen performs by introducing 

 the hinder part of her body into the ceU, and there 

 dropping the egg, — an operation which, when duly 

 considered, cannot fail to excite the astonishment of 

 every reflecting observer. How does the queen know 

 which are worker-, which drone-, and which royal- 

 cells ? And, suppose that her instinct suffices to guide 

 her in this respect, how is it possible that she can 

 predict the sex or nature of the young that wiU pro- 

 ceed from the ova she is about to deposit ? 



As regards those deposited in the queen- cells, the 

 mystery is not so inexplicable; and the difference 

 between the ordinary worker and the royal insect is 

 easily accounted for by the enlarged dimensions of 

 the cell, the difference in its position (being vertical 

 instead of horizontal), and the changed character of 

 the food, all of which, no doubt, aid in the develop- 

 ment of the reproductive organs, and which constitutes 

 the chief difference between the queen and worker ; 

 but stiU the problem remains unsolved — how is it 



