RACES. 
621 
Minor. The workers are rather smaller than the 
Italian. The general colour is a blackish-brown, with 
abundant whitish pubescence. The nervures of the 
wings are russet colour. The first two, and part of 
the third, rings of the abdomen are dark orange. 
This bee was introduced into Germany, in 1864, 
by M. Vogel, and into England, in 1868, by Mr. 
Woodbury ; but it seemed to the latter to possess no 
superiority, while he found it excessively vicious. 
Apis fasciata was domesticated in Egypt, in a remote 
antiquity, as is proved by reference* made to it in 
one of the earliest hieroglyphic writings that have 
come down to us, carrying us back to the period of 
the building of the Pyramids. The valley of the 
Nile is well isolated, and thus the purity of the race 
would be preserved ; but it is quite supposable that 
a branch of it would push on north-east, and so 
develop into the Holy Land and Syrian bees, which 
may not be the originals, as Mr. S. Clarke supposes. 
Conjecture will serve no useful purpose, but some 
naturalists incline to this opinion. 
The ancient Egyptians originated the idea of a 
floating apiary ; the hives were placed on boats which 
ascended the Nile, as in its upper parts the annual 
inundation more quickly subsided, and was immediately 
succeeded bv melliferous flowers. The boats descended 
the river so as to secure the most abundant pasturage, 
reaching Lower Egypt in the month of February. 
* Sir Gardiner Wilkinson draws attention to a hive being represented 
upon an ancient tomb at Thebes. The ancient Egyptians were also 
acquainted, doubtless, with the economy of the bee in having one queen, 
as the figure of the bee was adopted as early as the Twelfth Dynasty, 
expressing, in symbol, the idea of a people governed by a sovereign. 
