the continent. Their honey is much inferior to that of Europe, as might be expected from the nature of the vegetation. The honey of the Apis Peronii, however, found in the island of Timor, may be considered an exception to this. For our knowledge of it we are indebted to M. Peron, the intrepid French navigator, who describes it as having a yellowish tinge, more liquid than ours, and of an exquisite flavour. It is called by the natives Bee-sugar. The distinctive characters of the insect itself consist in the two first rings of the abdomen (with the exception of their posterior edges,) the base of the third, and the greater part of the breast, being of a reddish yellow, and the superior wings of a brownish hue. It appears from recent accounts, that in the distant regions of New South Wales and Van Dieman's Land, besides the indigenous insect, the Bee of Europe has obtained a firm footing, and already rivals the prolific race of South Carolina. The following account is from a periodical of extensive circulation and great utility.[1]
"The native bee is without a sting, and is not much larger than a common house-fly. It produces abundance of honey and wax, but has not yet been subjected to cultivation; and from its small size, and its building on very high trees, probably never will be so. The European Bee has been oftener than once introduced into Sydney, but without success; the swarms having always left the hives for the woods. A hive was carried to Van Dieman's Land,
