98 HUMBLE CREATURES. 



special purpose, and in thirty out of fifty-two fresh- 

 laid worker-eggs, examined by him " with the greatest 

 care and conscientiousness'^," he obtaiaed a positive 

 result ia favour of the theory, detecting the male 

 element in some instances still active ; whilst the exa- 

 mination of twenty-seven drone-eggs, ia not one of 

 which he could find the sHghtest trace of the male 

 element, served completely to confirm his observa- 

 tions and Dzierzon's theory. 



And now, suppose we take it for granted that eggs 

 may be deposited by the Bee that will produce either 

 drones or workers, according to the circumstances 

 just referred to ; we are tempted to inquire further, 

 " does the volition of the Bee exercise any iafluence 

 over the kind of egg about to be deposited, or is it 

 the result of mere mechanical action?" 



Dzierzon believes also that the queen possesses the 

 power either to deposit her eggs unfertilized, that is 

 to say, to lay drone-eggs ; or of fertilizing and con- 

 verting them into worker-eggs at her will; and this 

 idea is countenanced by Siebold, who states that he has 

 discovered voluntary muscles for the purpose, and he 

 considers it very probable that the Bee may be guided 

 in her operations by feeliug the dimensions of the 

 diflerent kinds of cells during the act of oviposition. 



Here, however, it would appear that the two great 



German naturalists have hastened rather prematiirely 



to a conclusion ; for, whilst the former theory is not 



only confirmed by direct observation, but accords 



* Siebold's 'Parthenogenesis.' 



