THE IT AL TAN OB lilGUEIAH BEE. 319 



the drones, a part of them, at least, must be marked ir- 

 regularly, the band being somewhat scalloped. 



VABIATION IN COLOR OF QUEENS. 



Among the queens there is a great variation in color, 

 some being even blacker than the natives, while the ab- 

 domen of others, is a beautiful yellow nearly its whole 

 length. These are the marks, it is said, by which they 

 are distinguished in their home in the Alps, where they 

 are surrounded by a barrier of mountains impassable to 

 the common bee. 



It is said that they have existed there since the days 

 of VirgU and Aristotle. If they existed at that time, as 

 a superior variety, it would seem to be a mark against 

 them that they have not become the predominant variety. 

 That they should be indebted to the protection of sur- 

 rounding mountains for their very existence is not much 

 in their favor. It seems to be a law of nature that the 

 poor and feeble shall be superseded by the better and 

 stronger races. 



As they are not a distinct species like the Stingless Bee 

 of the tropics, but only a variety of the common bee, — 

 as is proved by their mixing with them through all the 

 grades, — ^I would suggest that they have grown into their 

 present status through the influence of climate and sur- 

 rounding circumstances, and that the impassable moun- 

 tain enclosure has prevented all degrading alUances. 



SUSCEPTIBLE OF IMPKOVEMBTJT. 



That bees may have changed from the common black 

 to the brilliant specimens before us, in a few centuries or 

 thousands of years, is indicated by similar changes in our 

 domestic animals. We have the Pony, Cart, Farm, and 

 Thoroughbred — ^horse: we have the Native, Ayrshire, 

 Devon, and Durham, in neat cattle ; the Newfoundland, 

 Terrier, Hound, Pointer, and Poodle, among dogs, and all 



