THE ITALIAK OR LIG0BIAN BEB. 311 



Detennined to get the best, if there was any difference, 

 I obtained a queen from each party. The first one pro- 

 duced fully one-half of her workers of the native color. 

 Having no faith in the purity of this one I did not dare 

 to rear a queen from her. The next was not obtained till 

 late in the season. Owing to the management of certain 

 iaterested friends at headquarters — of which friends most 

 men are unfortunate enough to have more or less. At 

 length, however, I obtained two, one- of them in time to 

 rear a few queens, the most of which were dark. The 

 workers were fine. The next spring (1861) I raised a 

 large number of beautifully colored queens. I had several 

 stocks of hybrids from the queens reared the previous 

 year, which had mated with the native drone. On these, 

 with one drone queen, I depended for early drones for 

 the young queens. I found that the drones from light- 

 colored queens were much better marked than those from 

 dark ones — indeed, a great many of the latter appeared 

 no better than the natives. Yet, they had to be consid- 

 ered pure. Nearly all the queens raised at this time, be- 

 fore the appearance of the native di'ones, produced genu- 

 ine Italian workers. 



PECULIAIirnES. 



I now began to watch their peculiarities with consider- 

 able interest. I had two colonies nearly all changed, 

 several hybrids, and a number in which I had just intro- 

 duced the queen. I had about 60 native colonies, and 

 all the Italians, marked with the yellow stripe, which 

 would have made about three good swarms, in one 

 apiary. White Clover was blossoming in abundance, 

 and the Early Red, or Juno. Clover, in small quantities. 

 Here was a chance to see if they frequented the red clover 

 more than the natives. I found nine Italians to two na- 

 tives on this plant. The two exceptions might have been 



