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enable me to state exactly what their relative value will be as a pure 
breed. It seems, however, rather evident that as crossing material 
they will find a certain place, since they have at least proved them- 
selves to be excellent workers and most marvelously gentle. Without 
smoke or bee veil and with no protection whatever, the hives may be 
opened at all times and under any circumstances with no danger 
whatever of stings. Caucasians are particularly well adapted to 
city bee keeping, to manipulation by ladies and amateur bee keepers, 
and to the purpose of studying bee life—one of the most fascinating 
subjects for investigation in the whole realm of animated nature. 
I believe that the general introduction of these remarkably gentle 
bees—the Caucasians—would do more to extend and popularize the 
culture of bees in this country than have all of the importations of 
other races or all of the bee-keeping inventions since that of the 
Langstroth frame hive. 
SECURING DESIRABLE TRAITS BY CROSS-BREEDING. 
Since each one of the above types also possesses, along with its 
excellent qualities, some faults which thus far have not been entirely 
eradicated by selection in breeding these types pure, the thought is 
natural that by some out-cross, or series of out-crosses, followed, 
perhaps, by continued selection, types might be developed and estab- 
lished which should present the chief among the excellent traits in 
a pronounced degree without the undesirable qualities or with these 
greatly minimized. Thus we find that ever since the introduction 
of the Italian bees there have been efforts along this line, and since 
the spread of the Italian bee has been so general throughout the 
country, especially among the professional bee keepers, there are 
now few apiaries where the original black or brown bee exists in its 
purity. Special strains of the Italians have also been produced in 
different parts of the country by continued selection, and queens of 
supposed pure Italian blood are often sent from this country to 
various portions of Europe, and occasionally even to Italy itself. 
The progeny of these queens differ in important colorational features, 
as well as in qualities, from the original type found generally in 
northern Italy. The most striking difference in appearance is that 
in place of the three bands on the first, second, and third anterior 
segments of the abdomen a yellow color covering the whole of these 
segments, and often the fourth and fifth segments, is to be seen. 
This result is strikingly illustrative of what can be done with such 
plastic material as honey bees by careful and continued selection. 
The writer conceived nearly twenty years ago the idea that, not- 
withstanding the bad traits of the Cyprian race (this being taken as 
the best of the Eastern types)-it would be a very desirable thing to 
fix in a new type—hardier and gentler than Cyprians—the funda- 
