132 HYPOTHESIS OF DUNBAR. 



of the common bees ; and further, that the germ of royalty- 

 is never existing in any particular egg, but, on the contrary, 

 that the metamorphosis from the plebeian egg to the royal 

 one is occasioned by the spontaneous co-operation of the 

 community at large. The arguments of Huber go to prove 

 the same thing, although he so far admits in opposition to 

 Mr. Dunbar, that the queen does actually lay a royal egg, 

 but that it is in default of a royal egg being in the cells, that 

 the bees possess the power of transforming a common egg 

 into a royal one. The queens of Mr. Dunbar are, however, 

 made without the super-addition of any royal jelly ; but how 

 or by what other nostrum they are made, he is at a loss to 

 decide, although he tacitly admits that some food of an ex- 

 traordinary efficacy, and of almost miraculous power, is 

 administered to the embryo queen. Considering, however, 

 the advantages which the use of the mirror hive imparted to 

 Mr. Dunbar, whereby the internal economy of the bee can 

 be investigated and ascertained, as far as the bees will allow 

 of such examination being accomplished, which is very 

 limited indeed, it is surprising that he never took the 

 trouble to examine the difference in the shape of the eggs 

 which the queen lays in the common cells, in the drone cells, 

 and in the cell in which a queen is to be generated. Had he 

 imposed upon himself this task, he would not have com- 

 mitted himself so egregiously as to disseminate an error, 

 which would scarcely have been tolerated in the dark ages of 

 Varro and Columella. The egg of the common bee and of 

 the queen is as distinct in its form and general appearance as 

 the egg of a turkey and a bantam; but here Mr. Dunbar 

 may step in and say, that such difference is actually effected 

 by the common bee, and that all the distinctive properties of 

 the royal egg are imparted to it subsequently to its emission 

 from the ovarium of the queen. This is, indeed, the only 

 outlet through which the worthy minister can escape; but 

 we rather suspect it will be found, that having put forth all 



