red ; the remaining rings are also reddish- 

 yellow. On the sides of the abdomen in each 

 of rings a black clot is always present. This 

 is universally the case with the Cyprian drones, 

 though in the color of the other portions of the 

 body they vary, inclining, however, to show 

 considerable orange or yellow. 



From this description, for which I am main- 

 ly indebted to Chancellor Cori, experienced 

 bee-breeders can see at once that there is no 

 difficulty in distinguishing Cyprians from Ital- 

 ians, and, furthermore, that the former are 

 much more beautiful than the latter. 



In regard to the qualities of the Cyprians, 

 Herr Cori says : " This race exceeds all those 

 thus far described. The bees commence 

 brood-rearing earlier, have an active disposi- 

 tion, fly when the weather is cool, are extraor- 

 dinarily prolific, and are diligent in honey- 

 gathering. As. regards their disposition to 

 sting it may be said that it is not greater nor 

 less than that of the Italians or of other races." 

 The testimony of this man is well worth con- 

 sidering, for, holding a high position under 

 the Bohemian government, he has for many 

 years devoted a great deal of his time to the 

 elevation of his favorite pursuit — bee-culture, 

 in his native land, and has become recognized 

 in his locality as an authority in such matters. 

 The estimate placed upon his work there is 

 indicated by the following extract from the re- 

 port of a bee-convention and exhibition held 

 in Tetchen, Bohemia, in 1876, at which were 

 present many of the prominent apiculturists of 

 Europe : " The highest state award, consist- 

 ing of a silver medal, was bestowed upon 

 Herr Eduard Cori, Director of Chancellory, 

 Bruex, Bohemia, for his Cyprian bees, but as 

 he had previously received the same honor, he 

 declined, whereupon the medal was given to 

 Herrn P. Franz Goerner, of Politz, for Cyprian 

 bees." The second state prize was awarded 

 to an exhibitor of Italian bees. The highest 

 award of the Bohemian Society itself was 

 given to Adolf Hauffe, for Cyprian bees. 



Count Kolowrat, of Hroby, and Chancellor 

 Cori were, as already stated, associated in im- 

 porting the Cyprians. The former has the 

 model apiary of Bohemia, and has done a 

 great deal for the bee-interests of his country. 

 Rev. J. Stahala, a noted Austrian bee-keeper, 

 says : " No one could think of reproaching 

 Count Kolowrat with the faintest idea of spec- 

 ulation in the matter." It is well known the 

 Count has not sold, nor does he ever sell 

 Cyprian bees, but he has given a great many 

 daughters of his imported Cyprian queens to 

 his particular friends or to apiarian societies. 

 In 1875 ne wrote as follows: 



" The Cyprians appear to be no particular 

 friends to drones. At the second revision of 

 my colonies in the spring during the latter 

 part of May, I found in sixty-two colonies no 

 ripe drone brood, and in only a few was any 

 drone brood to be found, while from hives 



containing bees of other races drones had 

 been flying for eight days. How long it was- 

 before my original imported Cyprian queen 

 placed eggs in a drone comb, hung in the 

 middle of the brood-nest ! Rather than 

 comply with my earnest wish she allowed 

 empty combs, usually so odious to the bees, 

 to be placed between the sheets of brood, and 

 yet this colony was very strong, the weather 

 quite favorable, and I fed it more diligently 

 than any of the others. Such a similar occur- 

 rence in all of my Cyprian stocks indicate 

 that it is a peculiarity of this race to commence 

 drone-rearing much later than others do. On 

 the other hand, the killing of the drones takes 

 place from two to three weeks later than with 

 our other bees but the making away with the 

 drones then goes on rapidly ; they were 

 slaughtered unmercifully in a short time, with 

 the exception of a few which appeared to 

 have been pardoned, for I noticed during 

 favorable weather in November and Decem- 

 ber some of these dandies flying in and out of 

 all my Cyprian stocks without being harmed 

 in the least by the workers. Indeed, we met 

 with individual drones in February in colonies 

 in good order and even those possessing good 

 young queens. I believe, therefore, that I am 

 not mistaken in assuming that a further pecu- 

 liarity of this race is the wintering of individ- 

 ual drones., I found in none of my Cyprian 

 stocks too great a multitude of drones ; on the 

 contrary, in comparison with other races, there 

 were rather less, than more. In the collecting 

 of honey the Cyprians are very diligent ; they 

 appear to'be discreet in the occupation of the 

 ready combs with brood and honey, and only 

 after that to devote themselves with full zeal 

 to the building of new combs. They begin 

 the sealing of honey earlier than do other 

 races of bees." 



The best proof that can be adduced to show 

 that the Cyprians have sustained the good rep- 

 utation early given them by the Count, is found 

 in the fact that from time to time, since the 

 above was written, he has imported more from 

 Cyprus. 



One of the well-known and often-quoted 

 bee-raisers of Northern Germany is Herr C. J. 

 H. Gravenhorst, of Brunswick, not a breeder of 

 queens for sale, but an extensive honey-pro- 

 ducer, whose sensible article in the old num- 

 bers of the American Bee Journal form 

 quite a fund of information. He says him- 

 self, in an article which I translated for the 

 American Bee Journal, Sept., 1877 : "After 

 trying various races and concluding that the 

 Italian was the best, I felt not the least incli- 

 nation to procure and cultivate still another 

 race." However, on the recommendation of 

 some of his apiarian friends, he procured, in 

 1874, two Cyprian queens, and after three 

 years' experience with the breed reported as 

 follows : 



" The colony with the imported queen was 



