Live Stock. 



50 



[Jan. 1908. 



varieties, as drones are smaller than the workers ; length of the drones 16 millimetres, 

 workers 18 millimetres. On the other hand the drones have larger wings in pro- 

 portion to their size, 13*5 millimetres as against 14 millimetres the length of workers ' 

 wings. A month's inspection from every side failed to discover the qneen even with 

 the aid of field glasses, probably, therefore, not very much different from the 

 workers. 



Workers and their Characteristics, 

 Black body with reddish hairs, wings reddish especially in the middle with 

 violet sheen, thorax yellow, abdomen covered above with down reddish on the first 

 three sections, and often very brown or black on the others with brown lateral spots. 

 In the male the body is brown with whitish hairs, abdomen more blunt, no lateral 

 spots, abdomen covered below with rather long whitish down especially towards 

 extremity. No variations in the varieties found in different latitudes. Certain 

 authors say quite wrongly this bee could be reared in hives. As a fact attempt has 

 never been made and could not succeed as it is accustomed to build only one comb, 

 and is so fond of space and open air. The great difficulty will always be in modify- 

 ing its instincts enough to make it build in hives and with many combs. Author 

 suggests tentatively that a fertile queen-bee of this species might be given to 

 Indian or other bees with pieces of comb of Apis dorsata. If the bees would consent 

 to take care of this queen, its progeny might perhaps get accustomed for staying in 

 hives and building combs that are parallel to each other. Perhaps an experienced bee 

 keeper with seven or eight queens (so as to repeat his attempts) might end in succeed- 

 ing. If one wanted merely to exploit a swarm which might come into the neigh- 

 bourhood by chance, author has reasons to believe it would be enough to make all 

 arrangements for the comb including five or six cross pieces. In this way the comb 

 could be attached not only to the beam or to the branch, but also to the cross pieces 

 which could be fixed in a perfectly open frame. It would then be possible to cut off 

 the top of the comb once a quarter on the side where the honey was stored. One 

 would thus have an abundant crop. Perhaps one might even go so far as to 

 cut off from below the parts of the combs containing queens and drone cells, 

 and fix them pretty far off on a tree or in a different room and thus obtain 

 artificial swarms. As for the natural swarms one must not dream of collecting 

 them. Every kind of hive would merely drive them away. This last method 

 except as regards the artificial swarms might probably succeed, but 

 the result would be precarious aud only good enough to satisfy an amateur. 

 There only remains therefore the first method which is much more difficult, 

 seeing that it tends to change or modify the bees' instinct very considerably. 

 Success of the experiment would be really a great advance in bee-keeping. The 

 hives would have to be a cubic metre in size instead of a few cubic inches, and the 

 cross pieces would have to be 9 or 10 centimetres broad. Natives very fond of 

 honey. Have their own systems of collecting it. First way is to drive away the 

 bees and carry off the comb. Another way (less paying and more dangerous for the 

 operator) consists in sticking a long hollow bamboo into the honey side and using it 

 to suck away the honey. This has been described to the author by several people, 

 who have done it, or seen it done, and perhaps that was the way Jonathan used 

 his staff when he took the honey during the pursuit of the Philistines. The 

 habits of Apis dorsata closely resembled those of a much smaller and less useful bee 

 Apis florea or Socialis. The plains seem to be the field of the latter's work. Never 

 goes far for honey, and therefore never found above an elevation of 1,800 metres A. 

 dorsata (?) only builds one comb which is hung from twigs, on bushes, on trees, often 

 fixed flat on palm leaves, on panel of door or window. Prefers an open space for it 

 comb, but surrounds with it any neighbouring branch or twig. Has a wonderful 

 facility for adaptation. On one occasion author broke a piece of comb on moving it 



