Species of Genus Apis. 37 
There is some doubt as to the number of species of this 
genus. It is certain that the Apis Ligustica of Spinola, or 
italian bee, the Apis fasciata of Latreille, or Egyptiar bee, 
the Cyprian bee and the bees of Syria, of which Mr. Ben- 
ton states that there are at least two distinct races, are only 
races of the Apis mellifica, which also includes the German 
or black bee. 
Mr. F. Smith, an able entomologist, considers Apis dor- 
sata of India and the East Indies, Apis zonata of the same 
islands, Apis Indica of India and China, and Apis florea of 
India; Ceylon, China, and Borneo, as distinct species, He 
thinks, also, that Apis Adonsoni and Apis nigrocincta are 
distinct, but states that they may be varieties of Apis 
Indica. Some regard Apis unicolor as a distinct species, 
but itis probably a variety of Apis mellifica. As Apis mel- 
lifica has not been found in India, and isa native of Europe, 
Western Asia, and Africa, it seems-quite possible, though 
not probable, that several of the above may turn out to be 
only varieties of Apis mellifica.. If there are only color and 
size to distinguish them, and, indeed, one may add habits, 
then we may suspect, with good reason, the validity of the 
above arrangement. If there be structural difference, as 
Mr. Wallace says there is, in the male dorsata, then we 
may call them different species. The Italian certainly has 
a longer tongue than the German, yet that is not sufficient 
to separate them as species. Apis zonata of the East 
Indies, and Apis unicolor are said to be very black. 
~ I append the following chart, which I think represents 
pretty accurately the,species, races and varieties of the 
genus Apis. i 
Where a race is followed by an interrogation point, there 
is a question if it should not be considered a variety of the 
‘last preceding race not thus marked. Some of the races like 
the Italian, Cyprian, Greek, etc., Vogel considers. had 
their origin in a cross between the yellow and black races. 
Vogel’s conclusion was reached from a long series of ex- 
periments, crossing Italian and German bees and then 
breeding from such crosses. It seems likely that through 
the law of variation each race might have originated inde- 
pendently, or possibly all, as varieties of the Egyptian bee. 
