§v.] THE ITALIAN OR LIGURIAN BEE. 37 



land was through our agency. M. Hermann, a bee-cul- 

 tivator at Tamins-by-Chur, Canton Grison, Switzerland, 

 wrote to us on the sth of July, 1859, offering to supply us 

 with Italian queen bees. The date should be specially 

 noted, because this was the commencement of a new era 

 in bee-keeping in this country. We were always in 

 friendly intercourse with the late Mr. H. Taylor, author 

 of " The Bee-keeper's Manual," and then correspondent 

 on Bee Culture to the Cottage Gardener (since called the 

 journal of Hortiadture); and, being in the practice of 

 frequently discussing apiarian subjects with him, we told 

 him of the offer made us of a new kind of bee. He 

 said he knew nothing about it himself, but asked per- 

 mission to publish the intelligence in the journal he was 

 connected with, and we assented, entirely for public 

 interest and to gratify him. The letter, or an extract 

 from it, appeared accordingly in the current number of 

 the journal referred to. Prior to this the Italian, or, 

 as many have called it, the "Ligurian" bee, was un- 

 known IN THIS COUNTRY, except to a few naturalists. 

 The same letter attracted the attention of that intelligent 

 apiarian, the late T. W. Woodbury, Esq., so well known 

 as the "Devonshire Bee-keeper." On the 19th of July, 

 that is, a fortnight after M. Hermann's offer, we received 

 a consignment of Italian bees — the first imported into 

 England. With these Mr. Woodbury also received one 

 queen bee and a few workers, which he introduced into 

 a hive of English bees from which the queen had been 



