API 
cated, lanceolated spathae ; the corolla con- 
sists of six petals, of an obversely oval fi- 
gure, terminating at the base in very narrow 
ungues, and patent at the limb, forming a 
kind of tube below it : the fruit is a turbi- 
nated capsule of a triangular figure, and 
contains three cells; the seeds are oval. 
There is but a single species. 
APHYTEIA, in botany, a genus of the 
Monadelphia Triandria. Calyx large, fun- 
nel-form, three cleft ; three petals inserted 
into and shorter than the calyx ; germ in- 
ferior ; berry one-celled, many-seeded ; seeds 
imbedded. 
APIAN, (Peter), in biography, an emi- 
nent astronomer and mathematician, called 
in German Bienewitz, was born at Loisnich, 
in Misnia, and became professor of mathe- 
matics at Ingoldstadt, in 1524. He wrote 
several treatises on astronomy and the ma- 
thematics, and enriched these sciences with 
many instruments and observations. His 
first work was a “ Treatise on Cosmography, 
or Geographical Instructor:” this was pub- 
lished in 1530, and in three years after he 
constructed at Nuremberg a curious instru- 
ment, which shewed the hour of the day by 
means of the sun’s rays, in all parts of the 
earth. In the year 1540, he published his 
principal work entitled “Astronomicon Cse- 
saraeum,” containing many interesting obser- 
vations, with the descriptions and divisions 
of instruments, calculations of eclipses, and 
the construction of them in piano. In a se- 
cond part of the work is a description of 
the construction and use of an astronomical 
quadrant, to which is annexed observations 
on five ditferent comets : in these he shews 
that the tails of comets are always projected 
in a direction opposite to the sun. Our li- 
mits do not allow us to enumerate all the 
treatises of Apian : they were as respectable 
as numerous, and the author was treated 
with the kindest attention by the emperor 
Charles V., who published several of his 
works at his own expense, conferred' upon 
him the honour of nobility, and presented 
him with 3000 crowns. Apian died at In- 
golstadt in 1552, leaving behind him a high 
reputation for learning, and a son Philip, 
who was also an eminent astronomer, and 
taught the sciences both at Tubingen and 
Ingolstadt. Philip died in 1589, and left a 
treatise on “ Solar-dials.” He gave an ac- 
count of the new star that appeared in Cas- 
siopeia in 1572, which is preserved. 
APIARY, a garden or other convenient 
place where bees are kept. A southern as- 
pect is reckoned the most proper, and the 
API 
bee-liives should be exposed as little as pos- 
sible to the wind, and should enjoy as much 
of the influence of the sun as possible, as 
wind retards the bees in their work, while 
the beams of the sun invite them to it. In 
the vicinity of the apiary there should be 
plenty of flowers, wild thyme, and the like. 
The hives should be free from the droppings 
of trees, the annoyance of dunghills, long 
grass and weeds ; as from these, insects are 
bred, which are not only destructive to 
bees, but greatly retard them in the prepa- 
ration of honey. See Apis. 
APIS, in natural history, a genus of in- 
sects of the order of Neuroptera. Gen. char, 
mouth furnished with jaws, and an inflected 
proboscis, with two bivalve sheaths ; wings 
flat or without plaits ; sting in the female 
and neutral insects concealed. 
This genus is distributed by Linnaeus into 
two assortments, viz. those in which the 
body of the animal is but slightly covered 
with fine hair or down, and those in which 
it is remarkably villose or hairy : the insects 
of the latter division are commonly distin- 
guished by the title of humble-bees. In the 
first division, the principal or most important 
species is the apis mellifica, or common 
honey-bee, so long and justly celebrated for 
its wonderful polity, the neatness and pre- 
cision with which it constructs its cells, and 
the diligence with which it provides, during 
the warmth of summer, a supply of food for 
the support of the hive during the rigours of 
the succeeding winter. The general history 
of this interesting insect has been amply 
detailed by various authors, as Swammer- 
dam, Reaumur, &c. &c. Among the most 
elaborate accounts of later times, may be 
mentioned that of Mr. John Hunter, which 
made its appearance in the Philosophical 
Transactions for the year 1792, of which the 
following is an abstract. There are three 
periods at which the history of the bee may 
commence : first, in the spring, when the 
queen begins to lay her eggs ; in the summer, 
at the commencement of a new colony ; or 
in the autumn, when they go into winter 
quarters. AYe shall begin the particular his- 
tory of the bee with the new colony, when 
nothing is formed. AYhen a hive sends off a 
colony, it is commonly in the month of 
June ; but that will vary according to the 
season, for in a mild spring bees sometimes 
swarm in the middle of May, and very often 
at the latter end of it. Before they come 
off, they commonly hang about the mouth 
of the hole or door of the hive, for some 
days, as if they had not sufficient room with- 
