CUAP. VIII. HIVE-BEES. ?,lli 



fact that the variations are often not inherited. Sir K. 

 Heron ^* kept many of these fishes, and placed all the de- 

 formed ones, namely, those destitute of dorsal fins and thosfl 

 furnished with a double anal fin, or triple tail, in a pond by 

 themselves ; but they did '* not produce a greater proportion 

 of deformed ofispring than the perfect fishes." 



Passing over an almost infinite diversity of colour, we meet 

 with the most extraordinary modifications of structure. Tiius, 

 out of about two dozen specimens bouglit in London, Mr. 

 Yarrell observed some with the dorsal fin extending along 

 more than half the length of the back ; others with this fin 

 reduced to only five or six rays : and one with no dorsal fin. 

 The anal fins are sometimes double, and the tail is often triple. 

 This latter deviation of structure seems generally to occur 

 " at the expense of the whole or part of some other fin ; " ^^ 

 but Bory do 8aint-Vincent ^'' saw at Madrid gold-fish furnished 

 with a dorsal fin and a triple tail. One variety is characteiised 

 by a hump on its back near the head ; and the Rev. L. 

 Jen^Tis ^^ has described a most singular variety, imported 

 from China, almost globular in form like a Diodon, with"th-3 

 fleshy part of the tail as if entirely cut away ? the caudal fin 

 being set on a little behind the dorsal and immediately above 

 the anal." In this fish the anal and caudal fins were double ; 

 the anal fin being attached to the body in a vertical line : 

 the eyes also were enormously large and protuberant. 



Hive-Bees. 



Bees have been domesticated from an ancient period ; if 

 indeed their state can be considered one of domestication, for 

 they search for their own food, with the exception of a little 

 generally given to them during the winter. Their habitation 

 is a hive instead of a hole in a tree. Bees, however, have 



" ' Proc. Zoolog. Soc.,' May 25th, " ' Observations in Nat. Hist.,' 



1842. 1846, p. 211. Dr. Gray has described, 



*^ Varrell's ' British Fishes,' vol. i. in 'Annals and Mag. of Nat. Hist.,' 



p. 319. 1860, p. 151, a nearly similar variety, 



'* • Diet. Class. d'Hist. Nat.,' torn. but destitute of a dorsal tin. 

 V. p. 276. 



