THE BEE IN AMERICA. 281 



The Indians consider them the harbingers of the white man, as 

 the tmflfalo is of the red man, and say that, in proportion as the 



bee advances, the Indian and the buffalo retire They have 



been the heralds of civilization, steadily preceding it as it ad- 

 vances from the Atlantic borders ; and some of the ancient set- 

 tlers of the West pretend to give the very year when the honey- 

 bee first crossed the Mississippi. At present it swarms in my- 

 riads in the noble groves and forests that skirt and intersect the 

 prairies, and extend along the alluvial bottoms of the rivers. It 

 seems to me as if these beautiful regions answer literally to the 

 description of the land of promise — 'a land flowing with milk and 

 honey ;' for the rich pasturage of the prairies is calculated to sus- 

 tain herds of cattle as countless as the sands upon the sea-shore, 

 while the flowers with which they are enamelled render them a 

 very paradise for the nectar-seekingbee." — Washington Irving, 

 "Tour on the Prairies," Chap. IX. (1832). 



Many Apiarists contend that newly-settled countries are 

 most favorable to the bee ; and an old German adage runs 



thus ; — 



" Bells' ding dong, 

 And choral song. 

 Deter the bee 

 From industry : 

 But hoot of owl. 

 And ' wolf's long howl,* 

 Incite to moil 

 And steady toil." 



It is evident that the bees spread Westward very rapidly, 

 and to this day, many old bee-men can be found, who posi- 

 tively assert that a swarm never goes Eastward, even after 

 it is proven to them that they usually go to the nearest 

 timber. 



648. Bees, like all other insects, are divided scientifically 

 into genera, species, and varieties. 



Aristotle speaks of three different varieties of the honey- 

 bee, as well known in his time. The best variety he describes 

 as " \iicc.pd, g-rpoyyvXr] ocai TroixiXi] " — that is, small, and 

 round in size and shape, and variegated in color. 



