It is said, that the Italian bee can extract honey from some flowers which the common bee is unable to penetrate. For instance, the blossom tubes of the red clover being too deep for the proboscis of the common bee, that flower is useless to them, although so plentiful; but, says Mr. Langstroth, the American apiarian, the Italian bee visits the red clover assiduously, and draws large quantities of honey from it.[7] [Footnote 7: This opinion is not held by the closest observer of Italian bees in England.] The introduction of this new variety of bee into England was through our agency. M. Hermann, a bee cultivator at Tamins-by-Chur, Canton Grison, Switzerland, wrote to us on the 5th July, 1859, offering to supply us with Italian Alp queen bees. This letter, or an extract from it, appeared in the current number of the _Journal of Horticulture_, (then called the _Cottage Gardener_,) a periodical that regularly opens its columns to apiarian subjects. Prior to this the _Italian Alp_, or as it has been named the "Ligurian" bee, was unknown in this country, except to a few naturalists. The letter referred to attracted the attention of that intelligent apiarian T. W. Woodbury, Esq., now so well known as the "Devonshire Bee-keeper." On the 19th of July, that is a fortnight after Mr. Hermann's offer, we received a consignment of Italian Alp bees, being the first imported into England, with these, Mr. Woodbury also received one queen-bee and a few workers, which he introduced into a hive of English bees from which the queen had been taken. His efforts were very successful, and "the spring of 1860 found him in possession of four Ligurianized stocks." His subsequent experience with the Italian Alp bee he has fully described in a communication to _The Bath and West of England Agricultural Journal_. Subsequently Mr. Hermann sent us a copy of his pamphlet entitled "The Italian Alp Bee; or, the _Gold Mine of Husbandry_," with the request that we should have it translated from the German, and that copies of it should be printed in the English language. The pamphlet was speedily published by us, and although singular as a literary production, it may be useful for the advanced apiarian. Certainly the bees are partially of an orange or golden colour, and if one could believe the golden anticipations indulged in by Mr. Hermann respecting them, it would be sufficient to identify the Italian Alp bee as the species described by Hood in Miss Kilmansegg;--those which dwelt in "A golden hive, on a golden bank, Where golden bees, by alchemical prank, Gather gold instead of honey."