4C Other Species of Apis. 



our common bees, and thus procure a valuable cross. This 

 may be a developed peculiarity, to protect them from birds, 

 and so might very likely disappear with domestication. 

 The queens are leather colored, and smaller, as compared 

 with the workers, than are our common queens. The 

 queens are more restless than are the workers while being 

 handled. While procuring these bees, Mr. Benton was 

 prostrated with a fever, and so the bees, during their long 

 voyage to Syria, were neglected. Strange to say, one col- 

 ony survived the long confinement, but perished soon after, 

 reaching Syria. We can not call this journey a failure, as 

 we now have the information that will render a second 

 attempt surely successful. What has been learned will 

 make the enterprising bee-keeper more desirous than ever 

 to secure these bees. Their large size, long tongue and 

 immense capabilities in the way of wax secretion, as well 

 as honey storing, give us great reason to hope for substan- 

 tial benefits from their importation. 



Mr. Benton also found A. Indica and A. florea on the 

 Island of Ceylon. I have received some of the bees and 

 comb of the former species. The comb is very delicate, 

 the cells being only one-sixth of an inch in diameter. The 

 workers are less than one-half of an inch long, brown in 

 color, and their entire abdomens are beautifully ringed with 

 brown and yellow. ' The drones are black, and very small. 

 The one I have measures an eighth of an inch less in 

 length than does the worker. The queens are leather col- 

 ored, and very large as compared with the workers. They 

 are as large as are our common queens. These bees are 

 very quick and are domesticated on the Island of Ceylon. 

 The workers of A. florea are also banded, and are more 

 beautiful even than those of A. Indica. From Mr. Benton's 

 description these must resemble our albinos. The sting 

 of these two species is very small. From the small amount 

 of stores which they gather, the tendency which they have 

 to swarm out, and their inability to stand the cold, these 

 two species promise little of value except from a scientific 

 point of view. One colony of A. florea was brought by 

 Mr. Benton to Cyprus, but it swarmed out and was lost. 



It seems strange that the genus Apis should not have 



