THE SYRIAN BEIC. 289 



are again on the watch, ready to pounce on any enemy, 

 whether man or beast, bee or moth. Their courage and 

 great proliflcness would malvc them a very desirable race, 

 if they could be liandled safely. 



A slight mixture of this race with the Italian improves the 

 latter wonderfully in color and working qualities. 



660. 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. Yet it 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 I'r. Dubini, in 

 his book, writes that they were found at the foot of these 

 mountains. 



561. According to an article in the " Scientific Beview" 

 of England, although bees have been sent from this country 

 and Europe, to Australia, there is an Australian native bee, 

 which builds its 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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