The’ BOO. Ko icop 
males themfelves, or the cells whence they are 
excluded. ‘To which may be added, that other 
creatures impregnate their females only by con- 
tact, or by afperfion or fprinkling, as is plainly 
the cafein Fifh. In the fith kind we fee plain- 
ly, that the eggs or fpawn caft by the female 
into the water, are only fprinkled or dafhed 
with the melt or fperm of the male, and are 
by this means fecundated. The fame thing 
holds with refpect to the Ephemerus, whofe fe- 
male flying in the air drops her eggs into the 
water, and the male then feeks after them, and 
fprinkies and fertilizes them with his fperm. 
As therefore the water ferves Fithes as a me- 
dium, through which the impregnating virtue 
of the {perm is communicated to the eggs, 
{hall it be thought improbable, that the air is a 
medium of the fame kind to the Bees, by 
means of which the fubtile particles of the feed 
222 
_ difperfed through the hive, are transferred to 
impregnate the ovary of the female? Indeed 
the whole conftitution of the genital organs of 
the male confirms this opinion. ‘The fame is 
likewife intimated by thofe very ftrong feminal 
vapours, which are perceived by the nofe, when 
even but a few males, at the time of fwarm- 
ing, lie enclofed for fome hours ina box. To 
the reafons hitherto advanced may be added, 
the golden or incomparable obfervations of 
Harvey, by which it is indeed evidently de- 
monttrated, that even in manand in brutes the 
{perm never comes to the uterus, but that the 
more fubtile and fcarce perceptible particles of 
it change the whole body at the time of coition, 
and according to what I obferved in the human 
fpecies, impart or give a more perfect anima- 
tion and motion to the eggs, while they are 
till in the ovary. That the femen never comes 
into the uterus, appears moft certain from the 
following experiment: let the penis of a Dog 
in the aét of coition, be tied behind the knot 
which it then forms, and immediately cut off, 
and let the female be inftantly opened, all the 
fperm will be found fticking in the vagina. In 
domeftick fowls the Cock only emits his {perm 
through two {mall apertures, and rubs it to the 
vulva of the Hen; for he has no penis nor any 
remarkable production of the vafa deferentia : 
in other inftances thefe unite in one common 
channel, or, as in us, are produced out of the 
body by the help of the urethra: but in the 
mean time the fubtile particles of this gallina- 
ceous {perm thus rubbed on the body penetrate 
through the membranes, nerves, vefiels, nay, 
through the whole body of the Hen, though 
they be intended to affect and impregnate only 
her ovary. In the fame manner nearly the 
feeds committed to the earth, or being only on 
its furface, we fee are affected by the earth’s 
moifture ; fo likewife a little barm, or yeatt, 
‘ferments,. moves and prepares the whole 
mafs. The little part which appears like a pe- 
nis in the Bee, is wonderfully {mall and deli- 
cate, and of a very beautiful ftructure ; and 
hence I preferve it in my collection as a thing 
very worthy of contemplation. One doubt 
NATURE; or, 
may be {till objected to the hypothefis that I 
have advanced concerning the odiferous impreg- 
nation of the female Bee, and that is, that the 
female at the time of coition may thruft the 
extremity of the vulva into the body of the 
male, as is evidently the cafe with fome {pecies 
of Flies. But I anfwer to this, that the extremi- 
ty of the uterus in this female is not made in the 
fame manner as it is in thofe Flies: befides that 
thefe arguments, by which I have before al- 
ledged that the male cannot eafily approach the 
female, and that no coition can be performed 
amongit the whole fwarm of the bufy and 
noify Bees, ftill remain unfolved. To which 
add, that it muft be firft very evidently proved, - 
that the aperture obferved by me about the 
horny little bone in the root of the penis, out 
of which I expreffed the feed, is natural, and 
in its natural ftate is emitted fo. far out of the 
body. Nay, and if all thefe fuppofitions were 
taken for granted, yet it would be hard to de- 
monftrate that this coition of the Bees is like 
that which obtains among thofe Flies. The 
coition indeed of the Hornets, which is nearly 
telated to the Bee kind, feems likewife to con- 
tradict this opinion. 
rather maintain, that as foon as the female hath 
broken its cell, the male immediately creeps into 
it, and begins to copulate with her while yet in 
the cell. And among many other reafons this 
may be alledged as one, why the cells of the 
females are much larger than thofe of the other 
Bees. But all thefe matters are merely con- 
jeCtural, and they are not only contrary to the 
ftructure of the genital organs, but they ought 
not, nor can ever be admitted as certain, only fo 
far as they are eftablifhed by trial; nor can I 
think it is impoffible to know by experiments 
how this female is impregnated. - However, 
my opinion is, that this impregnation happens 
by: means of the effluvia only; it remain- 
ing thus far fufficiently ratified and confirmed. 
The female, therefore, at the time of fwarming, 
becomes fecundated by only the feminal. efflu- 
via of the males, which diffufes itfelf in the 
hive ; and hence the tripple feed in the ovary 
of the female acquires ‘its’ fertility; that is, 
fome thoufands of the eggs, out of which the 
working Bees are produced, then fome few 
eggs out of which the females are excluded, 
and fome hundreds which produce males. But 
the two latter {pecies of Bees are not generated 
in the hive until the year following, unlefs when 
the hive is to {warm again the fame year; for 
then the males iffuing from thence perform that 
bufinefs again for the fubfequent year. 
If the reader views the admirable ftructure 
of thefe genital organs, and the exquifite art 
confpicuous therein, according to their worth 
and dignity, he will indeed fee that God, even 
in thofe minute infects, and their parts, has con- 
cealed from the incurious eye, ftupendous mi- 
racles; nor is it difficult to difcover and illuf- 
trate thefethings, provided one feduloufly applies 
to their inveftigation. Confider, therefore, what 
a progrefs acute and fagacious geniufes may 
make 
But, perhaps, fome will - 
CE ns ae er an ar 
