BEE MANUAL. 43 
full working season, will have twice, and sometimes three times, 
that number of workers. ‘They are all females, but not fully 
developed as regards their sexual organization—they are incapa- 
ble of being impregnated by the drones ; but in some rare cases 
their ovaries are sufficiently developed to admit of their laying 
eges, which, however, as will be shown later, are unfertilised, 
and produce only drones. On the other hand, these workers 
are specially provided with the means of successfully prosecut- 
ing their useful labours. They have a wonderfully constructed 
tongue, or proboscis, which enables them to suck or lap up the 
liquid sweet from the nectaries of blossoms, and to store it in 
a ‘honey sac,” which is, in fact, a first or extra stomach, from 
which they can again disgorge it at will into the cells of their 
combs. Their hinder legs are provided with a hollow, or 
“basket,” for carrying pollen, which they are enabled, by the 
use of their front legs and their proboscis, to work up into 
little pellets, and pack in these receptacles. They have the 
power of secreting wax in small scales under the folds of the 
abdominal rings of their body, and they are furnished with a 
sting to protect themselves and their stores, and of which they 
make effective use when provoked. They perform all the work 
both inside and outside the hive; collect the materials for 
honey, beebread, and propolis; carry water, secrete the wax, 
build the combs, nurse and feed the young brood, ventilate the 
hive, and stand guard at the entrance when it is necessary to 
keep out intruders. Although division of labour is beautifully 
exemplified in the economy of the hive, still there are not 
separate classes of worker bees (as was at one time supposed) 
to perform the different sorts of work; on the contrary, every 
worker bee is capable of doing all these things, and they take 
their turns accordingly. ‘ One bee in her time plays many parts.” 
The young bees are employed on “home duty” for the first 
week or two; they then take their turn of outdoor work, and 
are gradually worn out in the service. Their term of life is 
short, varying from only six or seven weeks in the busiest 
working season to nearly as many months after that busy time 
is past. 
PHYSIOLOGY AND ANATOMY OF THE HONEY-BEE. 
T shall now devote some space in the endeavour to place 
before the reader, as concisely as practicable, and with the 
