Apis dorsata. 39 
ascertain if there were better bees than those we already 
had, and if so to secure them. Apis dorsata was the spe- 
cial object of the quest, and as this bee was known as the 
“great bee of Java,” Mr. Benton visited that Island, in 
hopes to procure these bees. But to the sore disappoint- 
ment not only of those who had the enterprise in charge, 
but of all progressive apiarists, the bees in question were 
not to be found on that island. Mr. Benton learned at 
great cost that this bee is rare in Java, but common in the 
jungles of Ceylon, Hindoostan, Farther India, Sumatra, 
Borneo, and Timor. In Ceylon, Mr. Benton saw many 
colonies, most of which were in inaccessible places, though 
he secured, after great labor and hardship, four colonies. 
These bees usually suspend their great combs, which are 
often six feet long and four feet wide, to overhanging rocks, 
or to horizontal branches of trees. In one case, Mr. Ben- 
ton found them in the crevice of a rock, nearly surrounded 
by the same. This indicates that they may be kept in 
hives. The combs hang side by side as do those of our 
common bees, but are one-half inch apart. Mr. Benton 
found the tops of the combs, which contain the honey, from 
three to six inches thick, while those where brood is reared 
are one and one-half inches thick. The drones and work- 
ers are all reared in the same cells, which are about the 
size of the drone brood-cells of our honey-comb. The 
worker bees, some specimens of which I have received from 
Mr, Jones, in size and general appearance much resemble 
our Italian queens. They have blue black wings, black 
bodies, which are ringed very much as are our Italians, only 
the yellow largely predominates. Mr. Benton’ writes me 
that in form and style of flight they much resemble wasps. 
.They are the same'size as the drones, varying from three- 
fourths to seven-eighths of an inch in length. They are 
easily handled by aid of smoke, and are very clumsy in 
their attempts to sting. Their sting is no larger than that 
of our common bees, while the pain from their sting, Mr. 
Benton says, is not so great. The drones are dark brown, 
marked with yellow. Stangely enough, they only fly, 
unless disturbed, after sundown. This is unfortunate, as 
with the same habits we might hope to mate them with 
‘. 
