48 THE BEE AS AN INSECT. Ch. i. 



them in advance of any other bee that he has cultivated. 

 In this opinion he is borne out by Count Rudolph Ko- 

 lowrat of Tabor. 



" It so frequently happens," proceeds the correspon- 

 dent, " that the last pet receives the highest honours, 

 and we are so apt to believe that that must have special 

 value which has cost considerable pains to obtain, that 

 a certain amount of caution is advisable in receiving 

 these enthusiastic statements. Herr Corri's opinion, 

 however, is deserving of the highest respect ; for both he 

 and the Count have been most perseveringly engaged 

 for many years past in importing various races of bees 

 from their native lands, and making comparative obser- 

 vations as to their merits, and this without being biassed 

 by the expectation of commercial gain. 



"The bees got from Smyrna (1864) seem to stand 

 next in their estimation. Both the originally imported 

 stocks, and those subsequently raised from them, pre- 

 sented, however, a certain number of black bees, and 

 after the most painstaking attempts to breed them pure 

 the results remained the same. The conclusion come to 

 was that they were of a mixed race." 



Our own experience tallies very much with this opinion. 

 We imported from Germany stocks of both the Cyprian 

 and Smymaean bees, and exhibited them at the bee 

 shows of the British Bee Association. Previous to doing 

 so we submitted specimens to Mr. F. Smith of the British 

 Museum, and he reported favourably of them — that al- 



