OR, MANUAL OP tHU AttARY. 53 



worker, and .generally Jess hairy. The bees are more irritable, 

 and jomoreiik^ely to sti^ than the Italians, They are also 

 wont to keep flylng-Tjefore one's face in'threatening mien for 

 hours, until killed. The wise apiarist will dispatch such quar- 

 relsome workers at once. The black bees have been known no 

 longer than the Italians, as we find the latter were known 

 both to Aristotle, the fourth century B. C, and to Virg-il, the 

 great Roman poet, who sang of the variegated golden bee, the 

 first century B. C; and we can only account for the wider dis- 

 tribution of the German bee by considering the more vigorous, 

 pushing habits of the Germanic races, who not only over-ran 

 and infused life into Southern Europe, but have vitalized all 

 Christendom. 



Ligurian or Italian Bee. 



The Italian bee is characterized as a race, not only by dif- 

 ference of color, habits, and activity, but also by possessing 

 a little longer tongue. These bees were first described as dis- 

 tinct from the German race by Spinola, in 1805, who gave the 

 name " I^igurian " bee, which name prevails in Europe. The 

 name comes from a province of Northern Italy, north of the 

 Ligurian Gulf, or Gulf of Genoa. This region is shut off from 

 Northern Europe by the Alps, and thus these bees were kept 

 apart from the German bees, and in warmer, more genial Italy, 

 was developed a distinct race— our beautiful Italians. It seems 

 to me quite reasonable to suppose from the appearance of the 

 bees, and also from the migrations of the human race, that the 

 Italian bee is an off-shoot from the Cyprian, and quite likely 

 both of these of the Syrian race. 



In 1843, Von Balden stein procured a colony of these bees, 

 which he had previously observed as peculiar, while stationed 

 as a military captain in Italy. He published his experience in 

 1848, whieh was read by Dzierzon, who became interested, and 

 through him the Italian became generally introduced into 

 Germany. In 1859— six years after Dzierzon 's first importa- 

 tion—the Italian bee was introduced into England by Neigh- 

 bour. The same year, Messrs. Wagner and Colvin imported 

 the Italians from Dzierzon's apiary into America ; and in 1860, 



