ORGANS OF THE QUEEN. 239 



are little better than an attenuated string of tubes, 

 ten or twelve in number, and destitute of eggs or 

 germs (B, Fig. 42), where, even yet, an indication 

 of spermatheca (sp) remains. Although the cavity of 

 the latter is almost entirely obliterated, the vestiges of 

 the appendicular gland pass into its base after the 

 manner of arrangement in the fertile mother. The 

 vagina lies at the side of the intestinal opening, and 

 is frequently imperforate, while the bursa copulatrix 

 {be, Fig. 45) does not exist, so that the reception of 

 the male organ is impossible. " Workers, like queens, 

 pass through a very considerable range of variation, 

 and an instance of worker copulation, which has 

 been scientifically verified, is on record. Under ex- 

 citement, and in the absence of a queen, the ovarian 

 tubes will, in rare instances, extend, and eggs be 

 laid, producing, as we now know, drones, the 

 ovaries, when dissected out, presenting then the 

 appearance of C, Fig. 42. 



In previous chapters, we have traced the develop- 

 ment of the larva within the egg, and have studied 

 the remarkable transformations in the arrangement of 

 the internal parts that occur during the chrysalis stage ; 

 and it seems fitting that we should now direct our 

 attention to those previously omitted transformations 

 which gradually change the egg, whose qualities we 

 have just investigated, into the outline of queen, 

 worker, or drone. The oviducts are provided with 

 secretion cells, which coat the egg with an agglutina- 

 tive body, so that, as it leaves the queen, it adheres 

 by its smaller end, as before pointed out. It sustains 

 its outstanding position for the first day, but then 



