1906 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



281 



In the issue for Nov. 15 Dr. Miller refers 

 to the similarity of foreign journals ard the 

 lack of original matter in them ; and in 

 a footnote to his Straw it was suggested 

 that it would be better to merge them into 

 one or two larger and better journals. The 

 matter of language in Europe makes this 

 out of the question. Besides, these journals 

 do not pretend to represent more than the 

 little company of which each is the mouth- 

 piece. Things are more fixed in Europe 

 than here, and bee-keepers are more inter- 

 ested in what concerns their own neighbor- 

 hood than in Europe as a whole. In our is- 

 sue for Dec. 1 I supposed I had referred to 

 all the German bee journals; but just now 

 here comes a new one entitled Die Euro- 

 paische Bienenzucht, "based on American 

 principles." This is Vol. I. No. 1, published 

 by A Strauli, Scherzingen, Thurgau, Swit- 

 zerland. d methods in bee-keeping are 

 changing rapidly in Europe, and some of 

 them are even vanishing; but the publisher 

 of this new candidate for public favor 

 strikes right out for whatever he thinks is 

 best. I infer he has been hampered some- 

 what in his former efforts as a contributor, 

 as he says, "I rejoice in possessing an or- 

 gan which is entirely independent, and in 

 which I shall not be obliged to ask for per- 

 mission to express my opinion." External- 

 ly the journal is elegant. 



Of the remaining journals to be noticed, 

 not printed in German or French; I would 

 mention our old friend El Colmenero Espa- 

 nol, published in Barcelona, Spain, It is 

 the only Spanish bee journal we get. 



L'Apicoltore is an Italian journal publish- 

 ed in Milan, Italy. It is 39 years old, and 

 one of the best bee journals published. 



Corrispondenza Apistica is another Ital- 

 ian journal now in its fourth year, printed 

 in Orsogna, Italy. 



Mesilane is a bee journal printed in Let- 

 tish, in Tallinas, Revel, Russia. Our read- 

 ers are, of course, well aware of the fires of 

 revolution that are now devastating that 

 unhaopy province. 



Bitidningen is a Swedish bee journal pub- 

 lished in Goseback, Sweden. 



Russkie Pchelovodnie Listork is the name 

 of a large and nicely printed bee journal in 

 the Russian language. 



De Bie is printed for the Dutch of Holland 

 and Belgium at Wilmarsdonck. 



Tidsskrift for Biskjotsel is a Norwegian 

 bee journal printed in Tvedestrand, Norway. 



Maandschrift voor Bijenteelt is printed in 

 Dutch at Beverwijk, Holland. 



The above will show how difficult it would 



be to merge these journals all into one, or 

 even have them all printed in French and 

 German — the predominant languages of 

 Europe. Suffice it to say. they are all doing 

 a good work, keeping their eyes on the Unit- 

 ed States as the land of wonders in the hne 

 of honey- production. 



The list so far given represents fully half 

 of the bee journals of the world; and the 

 more we look at it, the more we shall be 

 surprised at the vast amount of literature, 

 in books and journals, devoted to the bee 

 and its management. 



It is difficult in some cases to make out 

 the full address of our foreign exchanges, 

 and in some it is impossible for us, as the 

 names of towns and persons are so inter- 

 mingled that we have to give up in despair. 

 Sometimes the editor lives in one place and 

 the printer far from him, each person con- 

 nected with the publication having his own 

 address. 



Germans don't like to be cheated on their 

 food stuffs. A striking evidence of this is 

 related by the Munich Bee Journal. A deal- 

 er named Gustav Grote was fined $150 for 

 dealing in adulterated honey, and locked up 

 in prison for 100 days. On top of this he re- 

 ceived a month's imprisonment for his de- 

 ception. 



ORDER OF BIRD LICE, 



Linnaeus, in his classification of insects, 

 placed the bird lice with the bugs, scale in- 

 sects, aphids, and parasitic lice in the order 

 Hemiptera, which have already been de- 

 scribed These lice are very different, how- 

 ever, and should be made, without doubt, a 

 distinct order. They are now placed by 

 Comstock and others in a separate order — 

 Mallophaga — a word meaning wool- eaters. 

 These differ from the more common lice, 

 and from all the bug order, in having biting in- 

 stead of sucking mouth organs. Their thorax, 

 the part of the body just back of the head, 

 which bears the legs, is also very different 

 in these bird lice from the same in the com- 

 mon parasitica of the order Hemiptera. 

 Classification, if correct, will really suggest 

 the genealogy of animals and plants. Sure- 

 ly the order Mallophaga and the sub-order 

 Parasitica are plainly of distinct origin, and 

 to group them together is entirely mislead- 

 ing. The feet of the bird lice are tipped 

 with peculiar grasping organs which permit 

 them to anchor firmly to wool, hair, etc. 



While these are very common on birds 

 they are also found on mammals; and by 

 their worrying, irritating bite, are often a 



