144 Miscellaneous, 



of the races of honey-bees that are best known to the bee-keeping 

 community : — 



I. Black or Brown. — The ordinary hive- or honey-bee, called by 

 way of distinction the black or brown, from being of almost one 

 uniform brown-black colour, with slight indications of paler bands 

 on the abdomen, and clothed with greyish-brown hairs. Till within 

 the last fifteen years no other bee was known in Forth or West 

 Europe *. This is also the bee which, after escaping, has made itself 

 wild in the American and ]S"ew-Zealand woods. 



II. Italiatt Alp. — The Italian Alp bee, sometimes called Ligu- 

 rian, is indigenous to the mountainous district that lies in tbe north 

 of Italy round about the Lakes Maggiore and Como. It is of a light 

 orange-yellow colour, with two orange-red bands on the abdomen, 

 and is longer and more slender than the black. They are better 

 honey-gatherers, more hardy and prolific, and very courageous in 

 defending their own hives, even from the ravages of the wax moth. 



III. Cyprian. — The Cyprians are natives of Cyprus and part of 

 Turkey in Asia. They are yellow, quite slender, wasp-like, and 

 smaller than Italians. They always have a yellow shield-mark on 

 the back between the wings. They are strong, excellent honey- 

 gatherers, winter better than any other race, and are proof against 

 being robbed by other bees. But they are easily excited and most 

 revengeful stingers. 



IV. Syrian. — The Syrian bees are found on that part of Asiatic 

 Turkey which lies north of Mount Carmel. They are of the same 

 size, qualities, and temper as the Cyprians, from which they differ 

 in showing less yellow and being on the whole of a greyer colour 

 over their whole bodies. They are quite distinct from the next. 



V. Holt Land. — The Holy-Land, or, as the natives call them, 

 the Holy Bees, are found in Palestine, south of Mount Carmel. 

 They are marked like the Cyprians ; but their hair is so light in 

 colour that they appear to be beautifully striped. Their size is 

 smaller than Italians, but larger than Cyprians. They are very 

 active and far-flying, most wonderful cell-builders, and get honey 

 from red clover ; but they are ready to sting, become furious at the 

 least smoke, and run off their combs when one is lifted from the 

 hive. 



VI. Tunisian. — Tunis, on the north of Africa, has a peculiar 

 race of bees. They are the same in size as the Cyprian and Syrian, 

 but their colour is dark brown — even darker than the common 

 black or brown. They are active workers, keep on the combs when 

 being handled, and bear smoke better than other eastern races ; but 

 they are liable to attack a person coming near them, even though 

 not interfered with. 



VII. Carniolian. — The Carniolian bees are natives of Camiolia, in 

 South Austria. They are longer and thicker than the black or 

 brown, being the largest domesticated European bee. The colour 



* [This is hardly correct; the Italian Bee was known in Germany 

 more than thirty years ago, when Siebold wrote his ' Wahre Partheno- 

 genesis.'— Ens.] 



