46 Bibliography. 



wasp-like, and very black. The rings of their abdomens 

 are banded with lightish yellow. Their honey is even 

 more white and beautiful than that of the German race. 

 Some of the best European bee-keepers claim that they 

 are superior to the Italian bees. Akin to the Dalmatian 

 bees are the Herzegovinian variety, which comes from the 

 mountainous region of Bosnia, bordering on the Adriatic 

 Sea. A better marked variety — the Smyrnian bees — from 

 Western Asia, are also much praised by some of the noted 

 Austrian bee-keepers, as are also the Caucasian, from the 

 Caucasus Mountains, which are said to be very active and 

 amiable. The Tunisian bees, from Tunis in the north 

 of Africa, are said to be even darker than the black or 

 German bee. Tliey are described as quite irritable. It is 

 stated that there is a race of bees which are domesti- 

 cated in the south of Africa. From the descriptions I 

 should think them quite like our Albinos in appearance. 

 They are said to be excellent honey producers and to work 

 3ven by moonlight. It is quite Kkely that some of these 

 varieties might be found to endure our severe winters bet- 

 ter than the pure German type or the Italians. Now that 

 we are to have an experimental station in each State, we 

 may expect that all these rac.es will be imported, that we 

 may prove them and know which is the best. 



BIBLIOGRAPHY. 



It would be appeasing duty and not an unprofitable one, 

 to give in this connection a complete history of entomol- 

 ogy so far as it relates to Apis mellifica. But this would 

 take much space, and as there is quite a full history in books 

 that I shall recommend to those who are eager to know 

 more of this interesting department of natural history, I 

 will not go into details. 



Aristotle wrote of bees more than three hundred years 

 B. C. About three hundred years later, Virgil, in his 

 fourth Georgic, gave to the world the views then extant 

 on this subject, gathered largely from the writings of 

 Aristotle. The poetry will ever be remarkable for its 

 beauty and elegance— would that as much might be sai<^ 

 for the subject matter, which, though full of interest, is 



