Dr. A. Gerstacker on the Honey-Bee. 333 



expected a mere piece of five segments to be preserved as this 

 was, even though endowed with the power of recovery, yet we 

 cannot regard so extended and remarkable a function as this 

 appears to be as useless or inoperative in the natural course of 

 Naid-life. 



XXXVII. — On the Geographical Distribution and Varieties of the 

 Honey-Bee, with Remarks upon the Exotic Honey-Bees of the 

 Old World. By Dr. A. Gerstacker. 



[Concluded from p. 283.] 



After some remarks on the singular fact that, in Africa, which 

 generally exhibits such a remarkable uniformity in its insect- 

 fauna, the geographical distribution and varieties of the Honey- 

 Bee are more complicated than elsewhere, the author proceeds 

 to the consideration of the diffusion of the Bee in America. 



The American form is identical with the dark-coloured North- 

 European one. In some American countries, for example, Brazil, 

 the Bee is known to have been introduced from Europe ; but it 

 has been questioned whether this applies equally to other regions, 

 such as North America, where the Honey-Bee has existed much 

 longer. With the exception of Olivier (Enc. Meth. Ins. i. p. 49), 

 who doubted the identity.of the American Bee with the European 

 species, the best European entomologists have been in favour of 

 the introduction of this insect from Europe into America. Dr. 

 Gerstacker quotes Latreille*, St. Fargeauf, WestwoodJ, and 

 Lacordaire § in support of this statement. Latreille states, on 

 the authority of Bosc, that in North America "the savages know 

 that they are in proximity to the possessions of the Anglo-Ameri- 

 cans by the presence of the societies of these insects." Among 

 the native American writers the author quotes Thomas Jefferson, 

 who, in his 'Notes on the State of Virginia 5 (1787, p. 121), 

 speaks as follows : — " The Honey-Bee is not a native of our 

 continent. The Indians concur with us in the tradition that it 

 was brought from Europe ; but when, and by whom, we know 

 not. The Bees have generally extended themselves into the 

 country a little in advance of the white settlers. The Indians 

 therefore call them ' the white man's fly/ and consider their 

 approach as indicating the approach of the settlements of the 

 whites." 



Prince Maximilian of Wied (Beise in Nord-Amerika, i. p. 180 

 & ii. p. 346) speaks in similar terms of the introduction of the 



* Humboldt, Obs. Zool. p. 299, and Ann. Mus. p. 16/. 



t Hist. Nat. Ins. Hymen, i. p. 401. 



| Introd. ii. p. 285. § Introd. a l'Entom. p. 543. ;: 



