HONEY BEE. 253 
Lucy. Thank you, mamma ; you are 
very good to me. 
Mother, The genus of apis, or hee^ 
comprises a great number of species, and 
of almost every species there is something 
curious to be observed ; but the honey 
bee, or apis mellifica^, is not only the 
most useful to man, but the most re- 
markable in its economy. Of this fa- 
mily several varieties have been found in 
different parts of the world : they all 
produce both honey and wax, though none 
seem to make them of as good a quality 
as the domestic honey bee, which is so 
common in this country. 
Lucy. Our bees all live in hives ; 
how do they live when they are wild ? 
Mother, They construct their combs 
in hollow trees, in chininies that are not 
used, or the chinks in old walls ; in 
short, in any secure hollow place. Vast 
quantities of bees live in the forests of 
Poland, where they build in the large 
* Melf honey ; mellijica, honey-maker. 
