These STO RY Se Ew On Gi s. 
and the like, acquires their full perfe@tion in the 
ovary, and are from thence afterwards conveyed 
through a paflage made for that purpofe only, 
the fallopian tube, at once into the uterus, nor 
do they fuffer any change in all this journey. 
In Birds, on the contrary, the ege is but half 
perfected in the ovary, the yolk only being 
formed there ; but the white and fhell is after- 
wards added to this in the oviduét called their ’ 
uterus. In fome quadrupedes, as Frogs, the whole 
animal, which appears at firft in the form of a 
round egg, acquires its full perfection in the 
ovary, but it is afterwards covered over in the 
oviduct or tube, with a vifcous matter, with 
- which it defcends into a kind of hollow enclofed 
membrane, which is their uterus: this vifcous 
matter is the firft food the animal fwallows. 
In Bees the egg obtains its beginning and per- 
fection in the ovary, which performs the office 
of an oviduct, tube, and uterus or womb, all in 
one. This ovary appears to the obferver at firft 
like a {mall and fimply membranaceous tube ; 
but in reality there is a neceffity for much 
more apparatus. But our imperfect refearches 
can go no further than our eye-fight reaches. 
Behold, then, after what manner the omnipo- 
tent Architect hath retrenched, as it were, 
feveral parts here from the ufual oeconomy of 
nature, and contracted them into one! 
In the Silk-worm’s Butterfly, the ovary is 
in this manner alfo divided into two parts, and 
each of them again divided into four others, 
which I call oviduéts, whofe ends or extre- 
mities are of a fimilar ftru€ture with thofe of 
Bees, In the Rhinoceros Beetle alfo the ovary 
is in the fame manner divided into two parts, 
each of which is again divided into fix oviduéts. 
In the Humble Bee I found each fide of the 
ovary feparated into four parts. In the Wafp, 
which lays more eggs than the Humble Bee, 
I faw the ovary, Tab. XIX. fig. 1v. aa, divided 
on each fide into feven oviduéts. But here 
in the female Bee fo many oviduéts occurred, 
that I was not able to reckon them ; for not 
only the great number of the divifions prevent 
the counting them, but alfo the extreme ten- 
dernefs of the texture ; whereby they are very 
eafily deftroyed under our hands : to this may 
- be added the very ftrong knots, by which the 
pulmonary tubes bind thefe ovidudts to them. 
Nor could I any more reckon how many 
eggs there were in each of thefe ovidudts ; 
but this is very eafily done in the Humble Bee, 
in whofe oviduct I computed ten larger, and 
fome {maller eggs. In the Silk-worm Butter- 
fly I have fometimes counted fixty or feventy 
eggs in each oviduct; but in the Bee I could 
by no means determine the number of the 
eggs: in another ovary I counted fixteen or 
feventeen large and fmall eggs in one du ; 
fo that the Bee has a fmaller number of eggs 
in each oviduct, than the Silk-worm Butter- 
fly. I afterwards attempted to count the ovi- 
ducts in another female ; but here again I had 
as little fuccefs, both on account of the ftrong 
204 
connexions of the parts one with another, as 
becaufe I could not fpare the neceflary time. 
Upon comparing the numerous oviduéts, which 
I had found with the greateft labour, with 
thofe in the other part of the ovary, which I 
had not computed, I think I may venture to 
affirm that there were more than three hun- 
dred oviducts in the ovary of the Bee. And 
hence; if this number of 300 oviduéts be mul- 
tiplied by the number 17, (for there were fo 
many diftinctly vifible eggs in one oviduét,when 
the female was entirely perfect,) it will refult 
from the whole, that there are five thoufand 
and one hundred vifible eggs in one female 
Bee, and yet thefe fo different from each 
other in fize, that one would be furprifed ; 
for thofe that are to be laid laft, are no more 
than rudiments fo {mall as to efcape not only 
the eyes, but even my beft microfcope, and 
are to be numbered by Him alone who formed 
them. The extreme points or ends of the 
ovary, which contain thefe minute eggs, are 
placed in the uppermoft and higheft re- 
gion of the belly, and are there as it were 
folded and turned back. The fame thing is 
feen in the Humble Bee, and Wafp, and alfo 
in the Silkworm Butterfly ; but in the Wafp 
the ovary terminates in wonderfully long pro- 
ductions, Tab. XIX. fig. rv. 646, which are 
fo interwoven with the pulmonary tubes, that 
one would think them a little net compofed 
only of thofe tubes. It isto be obferved that I 
here reprefent a double ovary, and that one of 
its fides, fig. 111. a, is taken out of a fully preg- 
nant female; the other out of one ¢ not fo far 
gone: and hence a great difference arifes in 
the form of the ovary. The eggs, ff, 772, 
which are reprefented in the extremity of the 
Bee’s oviduct, that was not fo far gone in her 
pregnancy, are by far more numerous, fmaller, 
paler, fhorter, and more oval, as alfo more 
pellucid and tender than thofe which are fi- 
tuated in the lower part of the ovidué; out 
of which the eggs finally iffue and are pro- 
duced. This is conduéted in the fame manner 
by nature in other infects, I have obferved it 
in the ovary of the Loufe, but in the ovary of 
the Frog all the eggs are of the fame fize : in 
the human fpecies, in quadrupedes, and birds, 
they always differ in magnitude. And it mutt 
be here obferved, that in the ovary of the lefs 
forward female, fome eggs appear larger than 
others, fig. 111. ////; though they be al- 
ready come down to the lower parts of the — 
ovary. But this, as I have obferved, I never 
faw except in females, which did not increafe 
their colony as they fhould have done, and 
when there was fome confufion in the hive : 
therefore I really think that the female’s 
ovary has then fome fpecies of a diforder. | 
And hence I have, in order to prevent the ne- 
ceffity of two figures, on one fide a delineated 
part of the ovary of the real pregnant female 
Bee; for thofe are now called queens or fe- 
males by our Bee-keepers, which enrich the 
- hive 
