THE ITALIAN OE.LIGUEIAN BEE. 309 



mon bees ; that they swanned earlier and more frequent- 

 ly, were less inclined to sting, more disposed to rob, and 

 more courageous and active in self-defence ! In corrobo- 

 ration of this. Dr. Kirtland of Cleveland, Ohio says, — I 

 quote from Mr. Parsons' Circular, — "Their beauty of 

 coloring, and graceful forms, render them an object of in- 

 terest to every person of taste. My colonies are daily 

 ■watched and admired by many visitors. So far as my 

 experience has gone, I find every statement in regard to 

 their superiority sustained. They will no doubt prove a 

 valuable acquisition to localities of high altitude, and 

 will be peculiarly adapted to the climate of Washington 

 Territory, Oregon, and the mountainou.s regions of Cali- 

 fornia." The Rev. L. L. Langstroth says, "If we may 

 judge from the working of my colonies, the Italians will 

 fully sustain their European reputation. They have gath- 

 ered more than twice a,s much honey as the swarms of 

 the common bee. This honey has been chiefly gathered 

 within the last few weeks, during which time the swarms 

 of common bees have increased in weight but very little. 

 The season here has been eminently unfavorable for the 

 new swarms — one of the worst I ever knew-^and the 

 prospect now is, that I shall have to feed all of them ex- 

 cept the Italians." Mr. E. A. Brackett says, " My ex- 

 perience thus far satisfies me that the value of the Italian 

 Bee has not been overrated. The queens are larger and 

 more prolific ; the workers when bred in comb of their 

 own building are larger, and their honey-sacs larger. 

 They are less sensitive to cold, and are more industrious. 

 In all my handling of them, (and I have done so pretty 

 freely, lifting the combs and examining them almost dai- 

 ly,) I have never known one to ofier to sting." 



WHEN riBST OBTAINED. 



The reports of many others were equally favorable ; 

 and no one has as yet reported unfavorably. I obtained 



