28 AUSTRALASIAN 



generally, the bee appears to have been introduced at an early 

 period by the Spaniards, and probably spread itself thence to 

 the districts of Venezuela, Peru, and Chili, in South America. 

 Its introduction into Australia and New Zealand has been 

 noticed in the preceding chapter. With regard to its first 

 importation into North America, Dr. J. P. H. Brown, an emi- 

 nent American apiarist, in a paper read by him at the National 

 Convention in 1881, says, "The Black or German bee was 

 introduced, it is believed, into Pennsylvania from Germany, 

 about the year 1627." It certainly appears very probable that 

 William Penn's followers would have endeavoured to introduce 

 bees from England, if not from Germany, as soon as they began 

 to settle down |in their new home ; nevertheless it is very 

 likely that in the severe winter climate of Pennsylvania and 

 New York the bees would not spontaneously wander far from 

 the human settlements, and that it was only when they got 

 fairly established in the favourable climate of Florida, as 

 mentioned by Dr. Gerstaecker, that they began to spread 

 themselves westwards in advance of the new settlements. 



GERMAN, OR BLACK BEE. 



Fig. 1.— BLACK QUEEN. 



Neither of the names, German or Black, is a correct designa- 

 tion of this variety ; for, as Dr. Gerstaecker has shown, it was 

 by no means confined originally to Germany, and its prevailing 

 colour is more brown than black ; but these are the names by 

 which it is now universally known. 



