95 



THIRD CHAPTER. 



THE DRONES. 



MAKE OF THE DRONE — NUMBER OF DRONES IN A HIVE — ORGANIC STRUC- 

 TURE OF THE DRONE — OFFICE OF THE DRONES — OPINION OF l' ABBE DELL A 

 ROCCA — TWO SPECIES OF DRONES, ACCORDING TO REAUMUR AND DEBRAW 

 — HUBER ASSERTS THE EXISTENCE OF LARGE AND LITTLE DRONES — 

 DEFICIENCY OF DRONES IN A HIVE — METHOD OF REMEDYING THE DEFECT 



PROOF OF THE VERITY OF THE EXPERIMENT THE DRONE DIES AFTER 



COPULATION, ACCORDING TO REAUMUR — EXPERIMENT OF MR. REAUMUR 

 — THE ACT OF COPULATION OF THE aUEEN AND THE DRONE — TIMIDITY' OF 

 THE aUEEN BEE — QUESTION BETWEEN L'ABBE DELLA ROCCA AND MR. 

 REAUMUR — DRONES ALWAYS EMIGRATE WITH THE SWARMS — FEW DRONES 

 TO BE FOUND IN A SECOND SWARM — TRAGICAL END OF THE DRONES — 

 ATTACK ON THE DRONES BY THE COMMON BEES — PERIOD OF THE 

 MASSACRE OF THE DRONES — THE MASSACRE OF THE DRONES INJURIOUS 

 TO THE BEES — ASSISTANCE TO BE GRANTED TO THE BEES — VARIOUS 

 OPINIONS OF NATURALISTS AS TO THE MANNER IN WHICH THE DRONE IS 

 KILLED — SUPPOSED TO BE BY THE STING — REFUTATION OF THAT HYPO- 

 THESIS — COMPARISON BETWEEN THE BEE AND THE WAST IN REGARD TO 

 THEIR STING — OPINION OF l'aBBE DELLA ROCCA — ANALYSIS OF THAT 

 OPINION — HYPOTHESIS OF HUBER — HIS CONTRADICTIONS AND INCONSIS- 

 TENCIES — EXAMINATION AND REFUTATION OF THE HYPOTHESIS OF HUBER 

 — RUBER'S DISCOVERIES NOT THE RESULT OF HIS OWN OBSERVATIONS — 

 HIS PHYSICAL INFIRMITY — FRANCOIS EEURNENS, THE DOMESTIC OF 



HUBER HIS CHARACTER — PREJUDICES AND SUPERSTITION MR. RENNIE 



AND MR. HUNTER — ERROR OF MR. HUNTER — THE BEES ACCORDING TO 

 HUNTER, DEPOSIT THEIR EXCREMENT IN THE CELLS — REFUTATION OF 

 THAT STATEMENT — THE RETENTION OF THE FjECES INJURIOUS TO THE 

 BEES — HUBER'S HYPOTHESIS ON THE STING OF THE BEE — DR. HOWISON's 

 OPINION OF THE METHOD OF KILLING THE DRONES' — NOT MENTIONED 

 BY ANY NATIVE OR FOREIGN APIARIANS — QUOTATION FROM LEVETT 

 (NOTE) — EXPERIMENT TRIED IN THE PRESENCE OF BONNER AND OTHER 

 NATURALISTS — STATEMENT OF MR. PUDDECOMBE (NOTE) — FINAL EXA- 

 MINATION OF THE SUBJECT. 



It is easy to distinguish the drone from the 

 other inmates of the hive. In his body, he is 

 rather shorter than the queen, but more 

 round and bulky. When he departs from 

 or enters the hive, he always announces his 

 presence by a loud humming noise, from 

 which he derives his name. 



