a peculiarity which had escaped us was
perceptible. In drawing out the lenticular body, there proceeded from
the vagina a minute part, v. adhering to the posterior end of the
lentil, and situated below the plates. It spontaneously retracted into
the lentil, like the horns of a snail. It appeared white, very short,
and cylindrical. Under the pincers was a little half coagulated seminal
fluid at the bottom of the vulva. Though much could be expressed, there
was none pure; it was almost liquid, but soon coagulated, and formed a
whitish inorganic mass. This observation carefully made removed all our
doubts, and demonstrated that what we had taken for the penis of males
was nothing but the seminal fluid, which had coagulated and assumed the
interior figure of the vagina. The only hard part introduced by the
male, was the short cylindrical point which retracted into the lentil,
when we separated it. Its situation and office prove that it is there we
must look for the issue of the seminal fluid, if we can hope to find an
opening, when not engaged in copulation.

We found this new part in the first drone we dissected. By pressing the
seminal vessels, the white liquid then escaped downwards to the root of
the penis r. and into the lenticular body, l. i. which became sensibly
swoln. We prevented the fluid from returning, and by new pressure of the
lentil forced it to advance. However, none escaped, but we saw at the
posterior end of the lenticular body, and under the scaly pincers, a
small white cylindrical substance, the same in appearance as that we had
found engaged in the vagina of the queen. This part retracted on
pressure, and then returned.

I request you, Sir, while perusing this letter, to inspect the figure of
the male sexual organs published by M. de Reaumur, and which are copied
here. The descriptions are most accurate, and present a just idea of the
situation of these parts when in the male's body. We readily conceive
how they appear when left in the female by copulation. This detail will
sufficiently indicate the situation and figure of the new part I have
discovered.

I suspect that the males perish after losing their sexual organs. But
why does nature exact so great a sacrifice? This is a mystery which I
cannot pretend to unveil. I am unacquainted with any analogous fact in
natural history, but as there are two species of insects whose
copulation can take place only in the air, namely, ephemerae and ants, it
wo