THE HONEY BEE. 9 



colour is a light brown, the under part of the abdomen being 

 quite an orange yellow, except at the tip j each segment of the 

 upper part has a broad band of this colour on its anterior edge, 

 giving it a striped appearance. The drones are much darker 

 than the queen; they are rather imperfectly striped with a bronze 

 yellow colour ; they, on this account, are very easily distinguished 

 from the drones of the black bee. The worker is a slightly 

 smaller and sharper-looking bee than the black, and has the 

 three anterior rings of the abdomen at their front edges, coloured 

 with an orange-yellow band; the middle or second segment 

 being much broader than the other two. When young, the 

 hairs with which their body is covered are quite auburn-coloured, 

 which gives the bee a very light appearance. They have also 

 the anterior edges of each segment of their abdomen fringed 

 with light-coloured hairs. 



18. The Camiolan. — The Camiolan, or " Ladies' Bee," 

 as some have termed them, is scarcely distinguishable — except 

 by a close observer— from our own black bee. They have 

 each segment of the abdomen, at its anterior edge, fringed with 

 light-coloured hairs, which give it quite a silvery look. They 

 are celebrated for their gentleness when handled ; although 

 we have founa that they can use their stings, and, in some 

 cases, very freely. We never did anything very extraordinary 

 with them in the way of honey gathering, whilst their swarming 

 proclivities are unfortunately very pronounced. 



19. The Cyprian.— This is very much like the Italian, 

 with the exception that they have a greater preponderance 

 of yellow on their body ; in fact, the whole under side of the 

 abdomen is yellow to the tip. We have found these extremely 

 irritable— in fact, so much so that we discarded them entirely, 

 but mean to try them again, as, by careful selection, we are 

 assured that this pugnacious feature is being gradually bred 

 out of them. They are excellent honey-gatherers and feeders. 



20. The Syrian. — This is a very similar-looking bee to 

 the Cyprian. They are exceedingly prolific and active, and, 

 to a careful bee-keeper, would prove quite an acquisition. 



21. The Albino. — This, although frequently advertised 

 for sale as a distinct species, is, without doubt, but a slight 

 variation of the Italian or Ligurian, and may be passed over 

 as of no more practical utility than its progenitors. 



There are a few other varieties than those enumerated above 

 which one hears of now and again, but those we have described 

 »re the ones chiefly claiming attention at the present time. 



22. Kinds of Bee in a Hive.— A hive in a normal 

 condition, during the swarming season, contains three different 

 kinds of bees — viz., the queen, or mother bee ; the drone, or male j 

 and the worker, an undeveloped female. But, during autumn. 



