THE SYRIAN BEE. 289 
are again on the watch, ready to pounce on any enemy, 
whether man or beast, bee or moth. Their courage and 
great prolificness would make them a very desirable race, 
if they could be handled safely. 
A slight mixture of this race with the Italian improves the 
latter wonderfully in color and working qualities. 
560. The Holy Land or Syrian bees are almost similar 
in looks to the Egyptian, these two countries being contigu- 
ous. Those who have tried them do not agree as to their 
behavior; some holding them to be very peaceable, others 
describing them as very cross. We have never tried them. 
Among the different races of Eastern bees, the Caucasian 
are cited by Vogel, a German, as of such mild disposi- 
tion, that it is hard to get them to sting. Yetit is said that 
these bees defend themselves well against robber bees. 
According to Vogel, they resemble the Syrian bees, having 
also the shield of the Cyprians. It would seem that these 
bees exist in the temperate zone of Asia, from the shores 
of the Mediterranean to the Himalayas, for Dr. Dubini, in 
his book, writes that they were found at the foot of these 
mountains. 
561. According to an article in the ‘‘ Scientific Review’’ 
of England, although bees have been sent from this country 
and Europe, to Australia, there is an Australian native hee, 
which buildsits nest on the Eucalyptus. ‘These bees gather 
immense quantities of a kind of honey which, although very 
sweet, can be used as medicine, to replace the cod-liver oil, 
used with so much repugnance by consumptives. 
562. Apis dorsata, the largest bee known, lives in the 
jungles of India. Mr. Benton attempted to import this bee 
at great expense and danger, but only succeeded in bring- 
ing one colony to Syria, where it died. Mr. Vogel tried 
also to bring some of them to Germany without success. 
At all events further attempts at importing or domesticat- 
ing these bees would be so expensive, that private enter- 
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