206 THE APIARY. 



native country, therefore they are called Yellow Alp-bees, 

 or tame house-bees, in contradistinction to the black. 

 European bees, whom we might call common forest 

 bees, and who, on the slightest touch, fly like lightning- 

 into your face. (?) 



" As all good and noble things in the world are more 

 scarce than common ones, so there are more common 

 black bees than of the noble yellow race, which latter 

 inhabit only a very small piece of country, while the 

 black ones are at home everywhere in Europe, and even 

 in America." 



Notwithstanding the emigration of M. Hermann from 

 his native land, we shall in future be able to supply all 

 bee-keepers who may wish to possess stocks of the 

 genuine yellow Alpine bees. 



The Italian varies but little from the common bees in 

 its physical characteristics. The difference in appear- 

 ance consists in the first rings of the abdomen, except 

 the posterior edge, and the base of the third, being of 

 an orange colour instead of a deep brown. These 

 orange-coloured parts are transparent when closely ex- 

 amined with the sun shining on them. The Italian 

 ■bees are more active than common bees when on the 

 wing. 



During the summers of 1859 ^"^ i860 we had over 

 from the Continent a great number of Ligurian queens ; 

 these were sent to all parts of the kingdom. We regret 

 to say that but few were successfully united to English 



