178 THE HONEY-BEE. 



orly, and the venter is yellow to the tip : like the Syrian, it is 

 most prolific, but savage. The Egyptian bee (A. fasciata) is 

 considered by some as a distinct species, but is probably only a 

 variety of A. mellifica : it is considerably smaller than the 

 Italian. The pretty little Indian Bee (A. indica) was also at 

 one time considered distinct from our hive-bee ; but although 

 very different in appearance, it is only a variety. It is exten- 

 sively cultivated in India, and has tremendous hives, containing 

 as many as 80,000 individuals : it is a small bee, with much 

 golden yellow on the body. Various other races exist. 



The Giant Honey-bee of India {A. ilorsata) (fig. 86, c) is much 

 larger than any of the varieties of A. mellifica, the worker being 

 quite as large as a Ligurian queen. The wings of A. dorsata 

 are dusky black ; the base of the abdomen is dull orange-yellow, 

 and two pale yellow bands run across the remainder of the 

 blackish-brown abdomen ; while the dark thorax is clothed with 

 tawny hairs posteriorly. The drones are said to be dark-brown 

 marked with yellow (these I have not seen) ; and the queen is 

 leather-coloured. The comb of A. dorsata is often six feet lone 



o 



and four feet wide ; it hangs from branches of trees, ledges 

 of rock, and in crevices of rooks. The comb is similar to that 

 of our honey-bee, but the layers are placed closer together. 

 It is extremely abundant in the jungles of India. A distinct 

 variety, A. zonata, with large broad abdomen, dusky black 

 except at the base, and with a thick tawny pubescence on the 

 thorax, is also recorded from India and the East Indies. A^yis 

 fofdf (Fab.) is quite distinct; it is a small delicate bee, with 

 much tawny yellow at the base of the abdomen, the tip being 

 dusky brown with two pale bands in the middle. Mr Sladen 

 sent mo a beautiful variety, andreniformh (Smith), which is 

 deep brownish-black, with two pale silvery bands in the middle 

 of the abdomen. The stings of A. Jlonv and A. indica are 

 very small. 



In IMauritius and at licunion is a doubtful species, ^4. iini- 

 aihir, which produces green honey. There are several others 



