Nov. 1, 1S70.] 



HARDWICKE'S SC IENCE-GOSSIP. 



257 



will wage war upon another, and even fight with 

 members of their own community, is abundant 

 proof that they have the power of inflicting pain 

 upon each other; and the manner in which a 

 weaker brother, sensible of the proximity of a 

 dangerous neighbour, will fly or hide itself, as the 

 case may be, from its more powerful enemy, shows 

 that they are conscious of painful sensations. And 

 how any one can rationally divide one class of God's 

 creatures from the great uuity of creation, and, 

 because they appear small in our eyes, separate 

 from them all sensations of feeling, either of pain 

 or pleasure, I cannot imagine. True, indeed, it is 

 that God careth for all His creatures, both small 

 and great, and "provides them their meat in due 

 season." 



In conclusion, I would just say that although 1 

 am aware that Mr. Clifford in one place says he in- 

 clines to the opinion that insects possess a very 

 little pain, yet the whole tenour of his paper goes 

 to show that the amount of pain he assigns to them 

 is so very infinitesimal that he might as well come 

 out in his true colours and advocate the negative 

 side of the question. 1 would also say further, that 

 although I believe insects possess an amount of 

 pain fully proportionate to their size and structure, 

 yet I would not on this account refrain from killing 

 them as far as is necessary for the advancement of 

 scientific knowledge ; or where their numbers make 

 them a plague to man, as the Aphodius sphacelatus 

 was, a few weeks ago, in our town; or, indeed, 

 when they are destructive to our flowers, fruits, 

 and vegetables. Neither do I think that killing 

 them under those circumstances would be either 

 cruelty or " murder." 



Leicester. W. Newberry. 



[As this question has been well discussed in other 

 channels, we cannot insert any communications 

 thereon after our next number. — Ed. S.G.] 



ITALIAN, ALP, OR LIGURIAN BEES. 



I SEE that a number of your correspondents are 

 bee-keepers, and as some of them have the Italian, 

 Alp, or Ligurian Bee, I am sure it would be very in- 

 teresting to most of your readers if they would be 

 kind enough to give their opinion, and whether they 

 really think that they possess any of the good pro- 

 perties ascribed to them, or if they are as good as 

 the common black bee. It is said they fly further 

 and faster, work earlier in the morning and later at 

 night, carry heavier loads, work in wet weather, 

 better fighters — they belong to the long-fingered 

 tribe, can slip in and steal off their black neighbours' 

 stores unmolested, quicker scent, prettier, besides 

 a host of other virtues. No doubt they are certainly 

 prettier than our black bees. They have two orange- 

 red rings, about one-eighth of an inch in breadth, 



round the upper part of their abdomen; the hair 

 that covers their body is of a yellowish colour ; but 

 as far as my experience among them goes, I do not 

 think they are the least better in any one respect ; 

 in fact, I would not like to say they were as good, 

 till I try them another season. At page 18S of 

 your August number, "G. C.G." gives us an account 

 of his experiments in artificial swarming. I doubt 

 that he will have seen before this time that his 

 No. 1 hive is only a cross breed between the com- 

 mon bee and the Ligurian, the queen being a Ligu- 

 rian, but fecundated by a black drone : there will 

 be some among them that he will not know much 

 difference of ; and then, again, there will be some 

 nearly black : some take most to the father's side, 

 and again some take most to the mother's. I sup- 

 pose them to have been standing near some black 

 hives; if they were not, they would all dwindle 

 away in a short time and leave the hive empty, as 

 there would be no Ligurian drones out of the bar 

 be got from his friend from the Woodbury hive, in 

 time to fecundate the queen. Perhaps " G. C. G." 

 will kindly let us know which of the two ways they 

 went. I have not the least doubt but his other 

 Ligurian queen would turn out all right, because 

 no respectable apiarian would give away an Italian 

 queen that he could not guarantee to be fecundated 

 with an Italian drone. Those who keep Ligurian 

 bees, and mean to keep them distinct, should re- 

 move them to a distance from black ones, for a 

 fortnight or so when they expect young queens out. 

 I am often sorry to hear so many bee-keepers advo- 

 cating small hives, in which the bees are confined 

 for room, say, in the summer months, when the 

 queen is in her full laying powers. In these small 

 hives, the most of the combs being filled with honey 

 and pollen, there is very little room for brood ; con- 

 sequently, for every egg that the queen lays in a 

 cell, there are three at least eaten or carried out by 

 the bees. The best sort of hive is made of good 

 straw, with a flat wooden top, with from three to 

 five holes for bell-glasses or boxes : the sizes I use 

 are 16" x 12", 18" x 13" ,20" * 11" inside measurement. 

 I would strongly recommend your readers who 

 use the small hives, whether for pleasure or pro- 

 fit,— for who does not like to see his bees doing 

 well ?— to try the above sizes. I invented a new 

 cover for mine last season. It is made of sheet 

 iron, well painted inside and out it; keeps them 

 very dry, prevents vermin from getting into them, 

 also very neat; and another great advantage it has, 

 it can be locked, to secure it from thieves. There 

 has been a lot of plundering going on in this quarter 

 this season. If any of your readers think of trying 

 the above sizes of skeps, I will send them particu- 

 lars, and I will also send them drawings, with full 

 details of the cover, which any smith can make, at a 

 cost of a few shillings. John McLtjee. 



Wh itb urn, L in lit h go wsh ire. 



