The Italian Race. 43 
appears more or less strongly marked on the legs. The 
workers have longer ligule or tongues (Fig. 35, 4) than 
the German race, and their tongues are also a little more 
hairy. They are also more active, and less inclined to 
sting. The queen has the entire base of her abdomen, and 
sometimes nearly the whole of it, orange-yellow. The 
variation as to amount of color is quite striking. Some- 
Fic. 7. 
Abdomen of ltalian Worker, 
times very dark queens are imported right from the Lig-. 
urian hills, yet all the workers will wear the badge of. 
purity—the three golden bands.’ 
The drones are quite variable. Sometimes the rings 
and patches of yellow will be very prominent, then, again, 
quite indistinct. But the under side of the body is always, - 
so far as I have observed, mainly yellow. 
_A variety of our Italian bees which is very beautiful 
and gentle has the rows of white hairs (Fig. 7,J, K, L, 
M) unusually distinct, and is being sold in the United 
States under the name of Albinos. They are not a distinct 
race. In fact, I have often noticed among Italians the 
-so-called Albinos. I have tried ‘these so-called Albinos 
several times, and have not found them superior, of even 
equal, I think, to the average Italian, 
