286 RACES OF BEES. 
lar in markings, some being of a very bright yellow color 
others almost as dark as drones or queens of common bees. 
“It is a remarkable fact that an Italian queen, impregnated by 
a common drone, and a common queen impregnated by an Ital- 
ian drone, do not produce workers of a uniform intermediate 
cast, or hybrids; but some of the workers bred from the eggs of 
each queen will be purely of the Italian, and others as purely of 
the common race, only a few of them, indeed, being apparently 
hybrids. Berlepsch also had several mismated queens, which at 
first produced Italian workers exclusively, and afterwards com- 
mon workers as exciusively. Some such queens produced fully 
three-fourths Italian workers; others, common workers in the 
same proportion. Nay, he states that he had one beautiful 
orange-yeliow mismated Italian queen which did not produce a 
single Italian worker, but only common workers, perhaps a 
shade lighter in color. The drones, however, produced by a mis- 
mated Italian queen are uniformly of the Italian race, and this 
fact, besides demonstrating the truth of Dzierzon’s theory,(133) 
renders the preservation and perpetuation of the Italian race, in 
its purity, entirely feasible in any country where they may be 
introduced.’’—S. WaGNER. 
556. The Italian bees from different parts of Italy are of 
different shades, but otherwise, preserve about the same 
characteristics all over the peninsula. But how can they 
keep pure, since there are common bees in Europe? A 
glance at the map will answer the question. Italy is sur- 
rounded on all sides by water or snow-covered mountains, 
which offer an insuperable barrier to any insects. This is 
further evidenced by the fact that the bees of the canton of 
Tessin (Italian Switzerland) are Italians, being on the 
South side of the Alps, while those of the canton of Uri 
(German Switzerland), on the other side of the mountains 
and only a few miles off, are common bees.* 
557. The importation of Italian bees to another country 
was first attempted by Capt. Baldenstein. 
* The idea that select Italian bees raised in America, may be purer than any 
Italians ever imported. has been gravely discussed by some persons.’ 
