210 FAMILIAR FEATURES OF THE ROADSIDE. 



haps with honey, and the cell is sealed over with wax 

 ready for future use. 



Very early in the morning, when my ranunculus 

 poppies are in full bloom, they are alive with thou- 

 sands of bees intent upon gathering pollen. The 

 musical hum of their wings can be heard thirty 

 feet away, and so intent are they upon the pleasant 

 task, that occasionally I can stroke a fuzzy, pollen- 

 besmeared back with my finger tip and meet with 

 no sign of remonstrance. The bumblebee, however, 

 objects ; but she, too, is altogether pre- 

 occupied, and she only demurs by kick- 

 ing up her hind legs. Nearly all the 

 bees which visit my garden are Italians. 

 They are distinguished from the com- 

 mon bees by the five golden bands on 



The Italian Bee. 



their abdomen, the middle one of which 

 should be distinctly visible ; the other four are less 

 pronounced, especially if the little creature is not 

 stuffed full of honey. This Italian bee (Apis Ligus- 

 tica) was introduced into this country in 1859 by 

 Messrs. Wagner and Colvin, of Baltimore, and its 

 superiority in every way to the common bee is con- 

 ceded by all apiarists. It is less sensitive to cold, 

 more peaceable, less apt to sting, more industrious, 

 fights better against the enemies of the hive, and is 

 more easily handled than the common bee ; the lat- 



