23 
I first took a queen known to be pure Italian, and 
had her impregnated by a black drone ; now if these 
writers were correct this queen would produce impure 
drones ; I next took a pure Italian queen and had her 
impregnated with drones raised from the first queen ; 
next I took brood from the second queen and raised 
a queen from it ; now if these writers are correct this 
queen (No. 3) would herself be impure; this queen 
No. 3 I had impregnated with drones from queen No. 
1 ; adding, according to the theory of these writers, 
impurity to impurity. Again, a queen was raised from 
No. 3, and this No. 4 queen I had impregnated with 
drones like those of queen No. x, and thus I continued 
the process given for queens No. 3 and 4 for eleven gen- 
erations; adding, according to these writers, impurity 
to impurity twelve consecutive times. Now for the re- 
sult, queen No. 12 produces a progeny, either of queen, 
worker or drone, as pure and bright as ever an imported 
or home-bred queen ever did, thus fully substantiating 
the theory as first given as correct. 
A queen having wings so imperfect that she cannot 
fly from her hive, or from any other cause remainds un- 
fecundated, she ordinarily does not lay eggs. Still, 
exceptional cases do sometimes occur, and the eggs then 
laid produce drones only. If, in consequence of super- 
annuation, the contents of the spermathcca of a fecun- 
dated queen become exhausted, or, if from enervation 
