Miscellaneous. 145 



is a rich dark brown, nearly black, while each ring of the abdomen 

 is clearly marked by whitish-grey hairs, giving it a silvery look. 

 They are equal to Italians in honey-gathering, fecundity, and hardi- 

 ness, while they are of a most remarkably gentle disposition, never 

 attacking the manipulator except when treated with improper 

 roughness. 



YIII. Hungarian. — The bees peculiar to Hungary are the size of, 

 but far blacker than, the common browns. They are very fair 

 honey-gatherers and as gentle as Italians ; but their propensity to 

 swarm renders them unprofitable. 



IX. Egyptian. — The Egyptian bees are like Syrians in size, but 

 quite yellow, like the Italians. They abound, both wild and in 

 domestication, along the valley of the Nile, and while famed for good 

 honey -gathering qualities, are, without exception, the most ferocious 

 bees known outside of India. 



X. SoTJTH African. — There is an excellent race of bees, both 

 wild and hived, in the Cape Colony, which it is to be hoped will 

 soon be introduced to British bee-iieepers. They are the size and 

 colour of Italians, but greyer, while they are more tractable and at 

 the same time very prolific and of most remarkable working-powers ; 

 where honey is to be gathered they keep at it early and late, and 

 often even by moonlight. 



Whilst all these races breed freely when crossed with each other, 

 60 that they cannot be regarded as separate species, they all differ 

 in certain particulars, the most striking of which are noted above. 

 The diff'erences are no doubt the result of their being influenced by 

 climatic surroundings, as well as, in some districts, of a long course 

 of too close breeding. 



Studying these ten varieties with the aid of a map of the world 

 it appears that the nearer India is approached so much fiercer is the 

 temper of the bees found to be. The question then might arise, 

 Was this the condition of the first original bee, and have her 

 descendants, as they migrated into colder climes, lost some of that 

 ferocity which renders the Indian bee the terror to all travellers 

 through the woods of that continent ? 



A point which opens a wide field of study is the colour of several 

 races, and what developed it, and how far it is to be taken as an 

 index of common descent ; thus dark-coloured races are found in 

 north-west Europe, Hungary, Carniolia, and Tunis, where they are 

 wide apart from each other. 



American bee-keepers have set before them the project of breeding 

 bees by a judicious selection of queens and drones, with what they 

 consider these six indispensable qualifications in bees kept for 

 profit: — 1. Hardy; able to bear bad winters without too great 

 dwindling. 2. Good breeders; the queens laying in abundance, 

 early in spring and late in autumn. 3. Gentle and quiet; not 

 attacking mankind without provocation, and allowing themselves to 

 be examined on a bar-frame comb when lifted from the hive. 

 4. Good honey-gatherers ; working on the flowers from sunrise to 

 sunset. 5. Strong and active ; flying long distances to pasturage, 



Arm. & Mag. N. Hist. Ser. 5. Vol. xx. 10 



