THE BEE. 97 



But, reader, if you are at all of a sceptical turn of 

 mind, you may be disposed to shake your head, and 

 accord to such a wonderful discovery only a smile of 

 incredulity. " Herr Dzierzon," you might say, " may 

 make this assertion with impunity, for it would be as 

 difficult for any one else to disprove as it would be 

 for him to prove his theory." 



His theory is, however, a fact, and one that has 

 been proved, not by himself, but by the greatest 

 German naturalist of the day, Professor Siebold, and 

 accredited by that most talented and reliable Eng- 

 lish physiologist. Professor Owenj and we shall 

 briefly state the means employed by the former to 

 test the accuracy of Dzierzon's theory. He examined 

 with the aid of the microscope the fresh-laid eggs of 

 drones and workers, and, by careful manipulation, he 

 succeeded through this means in confirming the dis- 

 covery made by Dzierzon, for he satisfied himself by 

 ocular demonstration that in no case is the drone-egg 

 fertilized, whilst traces might nearly always be foimd 

 of the male element in the worker-egg. 



Nor must it be supposed that he entered upon his 

 investigations with any preconceived notions in favour 

 of the theory, or drew his conclusions from a single 

 experiment only. Oil the contrary, he commenced 

 his observations a sceptic, and was convinced only 

 after examining with great care seventy-nine eggs, 

 namely, twenty-seven male and fifty-two female. 



These eggs he obtained at the apiary of Herr von 

 Berlepsch at Seebach, which place he visited for this 



