CHAPTER X.THE SCIENTIFIC ARRANGEMENT AND DESCRIPTION OF THE GENERA, WITH LISTS OF OUR NATIVE SPECIES AND AN ACCOUNT OF THE HABITS AND ECONOMY OF THE INSECTS, WITH INCIDENTAL OBSERVATIONS SUGGESTED BY THE SUBJECT.

I nowproceed to the treatment and description of the genera severally, and the enumeration of the species in due scientific consecutive order.

The generic names adopted are those of the first describers of the genera; but the generic characters given by them could not be employed, they having been usually framed to suit special purposes.

All the generic characters introduced into this work are therefore quite original, and have been made from a very careful autoptical examination of the insects themselves.

The synonymy added to the lists of species is limited to the species described in Mr. Kirby’s work, where he is not the first describer, or to those of such other English works wherein the species may have been described in ignorance of its previous registration.

The observations appended, wherein the habits of the insects are described, will be found to embrace discursivesubjects suggested by the matter in hand, and here a dry didactic style has been purposely avoided, as in the majority of cases they record the personal experiences or notions of and hints from an old practical entomologist.

ClassINSECTA METABOLIA,Leach.OrderHYMENOPTERA,Linnæus.DivisionACULEATA, Leach.Antennæ in male with 13 joints, in female with 12. Abdomen in male with 7 segments, in female with 6.FamilyMELLICOLLIGERÆ (Honey collectors),Shuck.Subfamily 1.Andrenides(Subnormal Bees),Leach.Syn.GenusMelitta,Kirby.The maxillary palpi always six-jointed.Section 1.With lacerate paraglossæ.Subsectiona.Linguæ emarginatæ(with emarginate tongues).Syn.Obtusilingues,Westw.Three submarginal cells to the wings.Genus 1.Colletes,Latreille.(Plate I.fig. 1. ♂ ♀.)Melitta*a, Kirby.

ClassINSECTA METABOLIA,Leach.

OrderHYMENOPTERA,Linnæus.

DivisionACULEATA, Leach.

Antennæ in male with 13 joints, in female with 12. Abdomen in male with 7 segments, in female with 6.

FamilyMELLICOLLIGERÆ (Honey collectors),Shuck.

Subfamily 1.Andrenides(Subnormal Bees),Leach.

Syn.GenusMelitta,Kirby.

The maxillary palpi always six-jointed.

Section 1.With lacerate paraglossæ.

Subsectiona.Linguæ emarginatæ(with emarginate tongues).

Syn.Obtusilingues,Westw.

Three submarginal cells to the wings.

Genus 1.Colletes,Latreille.

(Plate I.fig. 1. ♂ ♀.)

Melitta*a, Kirby.

Gen. Char.:Headtransverse, flattish;ocelliin an open triangle on the vertex;antennænot geniculated, but slightly curved, filiform, short; joints, excepting the basal or scape, which is as long as five of the rest and slightly curved, nearly equal;facebeneath and within the insertion of the antennæ, slightly protuberant, laterally flat or concave;clypeusconvex, margined anteriorly, entire;labrumtransverse, slightly produced in the centre infront, and the process rounded;mandiblesobtuse, subbidentate;cibarial apparatusshort;tonguedeeply emarginate and bilobate, the lobes fringed with short setæ;paraglossæhalf the length of the tongue, abruptly terminating and lacerate, and setose at the apex;labial palpimuch shorter than the paraglossæ, four-jointed, the joints equal and each subclavate;labiumabout the same length as the tongue, its inosculation acutely angulated;maxillæbroad, lanceolate, the length of the tongue;maxillary palpisix-jointed, not so long as the maxillæ, the two basal joints the longest, the rest equal, short, and subclavate, the apical one rounded.Thoraxsubquadrate, very pubescent, the prothorax inconspicuous;scutellumtransversely triangular or semilunate,postscutellumlunulate;metathoraxabruptly truncated, and densely pubescent, especially laterally, for the conveyance of pollen;wingswith three submarginal cells and a fourth slightly commenced, the second and third each receiving about their centre a recurrent nervure;legsall pubescent, the anterior and intermediate on their external surface chiefly, theirplantæalso setose; the posteriorcoxæ,trochanters,femora, andtibiævery hirsute, especially beneath, theirtarsientirely setose;clawsbifid.Abdomentruncated at the base, subconical with a downward bias, thesegmentswith bands of closely decumbent nap, and the surface of all more or less deeply or delicately punctured; the basal segment in the centre, beneath, with a longitudinal tuft of long hair.

TheMALEdiffers in having themandiblesmore distinctly bidentate, and in being less densely pubescent, especially upon the legs. In general aspect it is very like its female.

Note.The genusCilissahas, superficially observed,much of the habit ofColletes, particularly in the male ofCilissa tricincta.

NATIVE SPECIES.

1.succincta, Linnæus, ♂ ♀. 3½-5½ lines.succincta, Kirby.fodiens, Curtis.2.fodiens, Kirby, ♂ ♀. 3½-4½ lines.pallicincta, Kirby, ♀.3.marginata, Linn., ♂ ♀. 3-4 lines.4.Daviesiana, Kirby, ♂ ♀. 3½-4½ lines.(Plate I.fig. 1 ♂ ♀.)

1.succincta, Linnæus, ♂ ♀. 3½-5½ lines.

succincta, Kirby.

fodiens, Curtis.

2.fodiens, Kirby, ♂ ♀. 3½-4½ lines.

pallicincta, Kirby, ♀.

3.marginata, Linn., ♂ ♀. 3-4 lines.

4.Daviesiana, Kirby, ♂ ♀. 3½-4½ lines.

(Plate I.fig. 1 ♂ ♀.)

GENERAL OBSERVATIONS.

This genus is named fromκολλήτης,one that plasters, in allusion to the habits of the insects, which will be described below. The female insects themselves have, at the first glance, very much the appearance of the working honey-bee, but they are considerably smaller, and, upon a very slight inspection, they are found to be exceedingly distinct. The respective males of the species are conspicuously smaller than their females, but their specific characteristics are very much alike, and there is some difficulty in separating and determining the species. One strong peculiarity, marking all of them, is that the segments of the abdomen are banded with decumbent, hoary or whitish down, in both sexes, and the determination of the species lies chiefly in the variations of these bands, and in the almost entire absence or conspicuous presence of minute punctures covering the segments. The females are very active collectors of pollen, and return from their excursions to obtain it, very heavily laden to their nests. I am not sure that all the species are not gregarious, to use this term in an acceptationsomewhat different from its usual application, for here, and whenever used in entomology, it is meant to signify that they burrow collectively in large communities, forming what is called their metropolis, although each bores its independent and separate tube, wherein to deposit its store of eggs. The males, neither in these insects nor throughout the whole family of the bees, participate at all in the labours required for the preservation and nurture of the progeny, a duty that wholly devolves upon the maternal solicitude of the female,—these males having fulfilled their mission, which is not perhaps restricted to their sexual instinct, but may also be conducive to the grand operation of the family in the economy of nature, viz. the fertilization of the flowering plants, flit from blossom to blossom, and thus convey about the impregnating dust. They may also be often seen basking in the sunshine upon the leaves of shrubs, and thence they become lost or dispersed or the prey of their many enemies,—birds or insects, which are always on the alert in search of ravin.

The aspect selected by the females for their burrows, varies according to the species. Some choose a northern, and others a southern aspect; thus, theC. succinctaseems to prefer the former, and theC. fodiensthe latter, as does also theC. Daviesana; and where they burrow they congregate in enormous multitudes. The mortar interstices of an old wall, or a vertical sand-rock, which, from exposure, is sufficiently softened for their purpose, are equally agreeable to them; nor have they any objection to clay banks.

In these localities each individual perforates a cylindrical cavity, slightly larger than itself, and which it excavates to a depth of from eight to ten inches, or evensometimes less. Now comes into operation the use of the peculiarly-formed tongue with which nature has furnished them, and described above in the generic character. These cells are occupied by a succession of six, or eight, or even sometimes no more than two, three, or four cartridge- or thimble-like cases, in each of which is deposited a single egg with a sufficiency, taught the creature by its instinct, of a mingled paste of honey and pollen, for the full nurture and development of the vermicle that will proceed from the egg upon its being hatched, and wherein this larva, having consumed its provender, becomes transformed into the pupa, and by the continuance of nature’s mysterious operations, it speedily changes into the perfect insect. But the beauty with which these little cells are formed transcends conception. Each consists of a succession of layers of a membrane more delicate than the thinnest goldbeater’s skin, and more lustrous than the most beautiful satin. In glitter it most resembles the trail left by the snail, and is evidently, from all experiments made, a secretion of the insect elaborated from some special food it consumes, and by means of its bilobated tongue, which it uses as a trowel, it plasters with it the sides and the bottom of the tube it has excavated to the extent necessary for one division. As this secretion dries rapidly to a membrane it is succeeded by others, to the number of three or four, which may be separated from each other by careful manipulation. It then stores this cell, deposits the egg, and proceeds to close it with a covercle of double the number of membranes with which the sides are furnished, and continues with another in a similar manner, until it has completed sufficient to fill the tubular cavity, which, after closing the last case similarly to the rest, itstops up the orifice with grains of sand or earth. The food stored up is subject to fermentation, but this does not appear to be prejudicial to the larva, which first consumes the liquid portion of the store and then drills into the centre of the more solid part, and continues enlarging this little cylinder until increasing in growth by its consumption, it itself fills the cavity, and thus supplies the lateral stay or prop which, by means of the stored provender, was previously prevented from falling in. It has not been ascertained what number of eggs each insect lays, or whether it bores more than one tube, but it is presumable that it may do so, and possibly thus, from the numbers annually produced, for there are two broods in the year, colonies are thrown off which gradually form another metropolis somewhere in the vicinity, although the majority continue to occupy the old habitat from year to year. But the number of these insects is kept within due limits by the individual abundance of the parasites that infest them, and by the unsparing and unflinching attacks of earwigs, which consume all before them,—perfect insect, larva, and provender. The two most conspicuous parasites they have, are the beautiful little bee,Epeolus variegatus, the young of which is sustained, as in all bee-parasitism, by consuming the food stored for the sustenance of the young of theColletes; and the other is the little dipterousMiltogramma punctata, whose larva, evolved from the egg deposited in the cell, feeds upon the larva of theColletes, or possibly upon that of theEpeolus, which otherwise would seem to have no check to its fertility, excepting that it may be subdued by theForficulæ.

These insects are to be found during the spring and summer months, and throughout the southern counties,although some species are extremely local. Some occur also in the north of England and in Ireland. I am not prepared to say what flowers they prefer, for I have never captured them on flowers, but they have been found frequenting the Ragwort, and Curtis took a species at Parley Heath, in Hampshire, on the Bluebell (Campanula glomerata). They form a remarkable instance of an artisan bee, but so only in its habits, amongst theAndrenides.

Two submarginal cells to the wings.Genus 2.Prosopis,Fabricius.(Plate I.fig. 2 ♂ ♀.)Melitta*b, Kirby.—Hylæus, Latreille.

Two submarginal cells to the wings.

Genus 2.Prosopis,Fabricius.

(Plate I.fig. 2 ♂ ♀.)

Melitta*b, Kirby.—Hylæus, Latreille.

Gen. Char.:Headtransverse, flattish;ocelliin an open triangle on the vertex;antennægeniculated, the basal joint of the flagellum as long as the second, and both subclavate, the rest of the joints short and equal;faceflat, slightly protuberant between the insertion of the antennæ, and distinguished from the clypeus by a suture;clypeustransversely quadrate, slightly widening gradually to the apex, marginate;labrumtransverse, obovate, fringed with setæ;mandiblesbroad at apex, tridentate;cibarial apparatusshort;tonguebroad, subemarginate and fringed with short hair;paraglossævery slightly longer than the tongue, their apex broadly rounded and fringed with hair;labial palpias long as the tongue, joints subequal, gradating in substance, subclavate;labiumabout as long as the tongue, pyramidal at its apical inosculation;maxillæabout as long as the tongue, slightly lanceolate, fringed with short hair;maxillary palpirather longer than the maxillæ, with six joints, the basal joint robust and slightly constricted in the middle, the third joint linear and the longest, the remainder gradually decreasing in length and substance.

Thoraxsubquadrate;prothoraxtransverse, linear, angulated at the sides;mesothoraxwith itsbossesprotuberant;scutellumandpost-scutellumsemilunulate;metathoraxabruptly truncate, and longitudinally carinated in the centre;wingswith two submarginal cells, a third slightly indicated, the first recurrent nervure springing from the extreme apex of the first submarginal cell, closely to the first transverso-cubital nervure, and the second closely before the termination of the second submarginal cell;stigmaof the wing large and distinct;legswholly destitute of polliniferous hair, the terminal joint of the tarsus as long as the two preceding;clawsbifid;Abdomensubtruncate at the base, subconical with a downward bias.

TheMALEdiffers in having themandiblesdistinctly bidentate, the external tooth acute; theantennæare very slightly longer and more curved, and their colouring is more intense and more widely distributed. These insects are glabrous, generally intensely black, dull on the head and thorax, but shining on the abdomen, and are more or less thickly punctured, and they are usually gaily marked with yellow, citron, or red, especially on the face, thorax, and legs.

NATIVE SPECIES.

1.annulatus, Fab., ♂ ♀. 2½-3 lines.annulatus, Kirby.2.dilatata, Kirby, ♂. 3 lines. (Plate I.fig. 2 ♂.)Hylæus dilatatus, Curtis.3.annularis, Kirby, ♂ ♀. 2½-3 lines.4.hyalinata, Smith, ♂ ♀. 2-3 lines.5.signata, Panzer, ♂ ♀. 3-3½ lines. (Plate I.fig. 2 ♀.)signata, Kirby.6.cornuta, Kirby, ♂ ♀. 3-3¼ lines.7.varipes, Sm., ♂ ♀. 1½ lines.8.variegata, Fab., ♂ ♀. 2-3 lines.

1.annulatus, Fab., ♂ ♀. 2½-3 lines.

annulatus, Kirby.

2.dilatata, Kirby, ♂. 3 lines. (Plate I.fig. 2 ♂.)

Hylæus dilatatus, Curtis.

3.annularis, Kirby, ♂ ♀. 2½-3 lines.

4.hyalinata, Smith, ♂ ♀. 2-3 lines.

5.signata, Panzer, ♂ ♀. 3-3½ lines. (Plate I.fig. 2 ♀.)

signata, Kirby.

6.cornuta, Kirby, ♂ ♀. 3-3¼ lines.

7.varipes, Sm., ♂ ♀. 1½ lines.

8.variegata, Fab., ♂ ♀. 2-3 lines.

GENERAL OBSERVATIONS.

This genus is named fromπροσωπὶς, apparently in allusion to its seemingly masked face, most of the species having yellow markings more or less conspicuous upon the face.

It is the least pubescent of any of the bees, even less so than those confirmed parasites, the generaNomadaandStelis, thus further tending to corroborate its apparently parasitical habits, for none of the truly pollinigerous bees are so destitute of hair. The ground-colour of the species is intensely black, variously decorated on the face, thorax, and legs, with markings of different intensities of yellow; but one of our species, theP. variegata, is also gaily marked with red. Indeed exotic species, and especially those of warm climates, are often very gay insects.

They have usually been considered as parasitical insects, from their being unfurnished with the customary apparatus of hair upon the posterior legs, with which pollinigerous insects are generally so amply provided. In contradiction to their parasitism, it is asserted that they have been repeatedly bred from bramble sticks; this circumstance is no proof of the fact of their notbeing parasitical, for many bees, for instanceCeratina,Heriades, etc., nidificate in bramble sticks, and they may have superseded the nidificating bee by depositing their ova in the nests of the latter; although it certainly is a remarkable circumstance that some one of these bees has never escaped destruction in the several instances in which these have been thus bred. It is also said that their nests contain a semi-liquid honey. The fact of the larva of a wild bee being nurtured upon any other provender than a mixture of pollen and honey, does not elsewhere occur, and it would seem to contradict the function this family is ordained to exercise, by conveying pollen from flower to flower, and which besides, in every other case, constitutes the nutritive aliment of the larva. But then, again, the structure of its tongue, which resembles somewhat that ofColletesin lateral expansion, and with which it would be provided for some analogous purpose, seems to contradict parasitical habits, although St. Fargeau asserts that it is parasitical upon this genus, and if so, although it has not been observed in this country, the analogous structure of the tongue might be perhaps explained.

But notwithstanding this deficiency of positive characters, from the absence of pollinigerous organs, nature is not to be controlled by laws framed by us upon the imperfect induction of incomplete facts, for if it be incontestable that this genus is constructive and not parasitical, the riddle presented by this structure of its tongue is at once solved, for without any affinity beyond that single peculiarity withColletes, it presents an anomaly of organization which cannot be accounted for but by its application to a use similar to what we find it applied in that extraordinary genus,—a use that couldnot be extant in a parasite. InColletesit is the concomitant of as ample a power of collecting pollen as any that we find exhibited throughout the whole range of our native bees, but inProsopisit is concurrent with a total deficiency of the ordinary apparatus employed for that purpose.

One of the species of this genus has been found near Bristol, with the indication of aStylopshaving escaped from it, which is a further extension of the parasitism of that most extraordinary genus, but theStylopsfrequenting it has not yet been discovered, which would doubtless present a new species, therefore an interesting addition to the series already known.

These insects are not at all uncommon in some of the species during the latter spring and summer months, and they frequent the severalResedas, being very fond of Mignonette. They are also found upon theDracocephalum Moldavica, and occur not unfrequently upon the Onion, which in blossom is the resort of many interesting insects. The majority of them emit when captured, and if held within the fingers, a very pungent citron odour, exceedingly refreshing on a hot day, in intense sunshine. Some of the species are rare, especially those very highly coloured, as is also theP. dilatata, so named from the peculiar triangular expansion of the basal joint of the antennæ, the female of which is not known or possibly has only been overlooked or not identified. TheP. varipesandP. variegata, which are the most richly coloured, occur in the west of England, and in one, theP. cornuta, the clypeus is furnished with a tubercle.

Subsectionb.Linguæ lanceolatæ(with lancet-shaped tongues).Genus 3.Sphecodes,Latreille.(Plate I.fig. 3 ♂♀.)Melitta**a, Kirby.

Subsectionb.Linguæ lanceolatæ(with lancet-shaped tongues).

Genus 3.Sphecodes,Latreille.

(Plate I.fig. 3 ♂♀.)

Melitta**a, Kirby.

Gen. Char.:Headtransverse, linear, fully as wide as the thorax, flat, with a slightly convex tendency;ocelliin a triangle;antennæshort, scarcely geniculated;facebeneath the insertion of the antennæ, protuberant;clypeustransverse, margined, convex;labrumtransversely ovate, deeply emarginate, in the centre in front;mandiblesbidentate, obtuse, the external tooth projecting much further than the second;tongueshort, lanceolate, fringed with setæ;paraglossænot so long as the tongue, abruptly terminated, and setose at the extremity;labial palpinot so long as the paraglossæ; the joints comparatively elongate and slender, and decreasing towards the apex in length and substance;labiumrather longer than the tongue, its inosculation straightly transverse;maxillæabout the length of the tongue, broad and lanceolate;maxillary palpisix-jointed, the first joint shorter and less robust than the second, which is also shorter and less robust than the third, which is the longest and most robust of all, the terminal joints more slender, and declining gradually in length.Thoraxovate;prothoraxlinear, produced into a sharp tooth on each side;mesothoraxwith longitudinal lateral impressed lines;bossesacutely protuberant;scutellumquadrate;postscutelluminconspicuous;metathoraxslightly gibbous;wingswith three submarginal cells, and a fourth slightly commenced, the second narrow, forming a truncated triangle, and receiving thefirst recurrent nervure in its centre, the second recurrent nervure springing from just beyond the centre of the third submarginal cell;legsslightly but rigidly spinose and setose;clawsbifid.Abdomenovate.

TheMALESdiffer, in having the antennæ longer and sometimes moniliform, the lower part of thefaceandclypeususually covered with a dense short silvery decumbent pubescence, and they have themetathoraxtruncated at its base; in other respects they greatly resemble their females.

The insects of this genus may be called glabrous, their pubescence being so slight and scattered, they usually shine brightly, and are more or less deeply punctured; and the abdomen is always partially or entirely of a bright ferruginous red, sometimes verging into fuscous or pitchy.

NATIVE SPECIES.

1.gibbus, Linnæus, ♂♀. 3-4½ lines. (Plate I.fig. 3 ♂♀).sphecoides, Kirby, ♀.monilicornis, Kirby, ♂.picea, Kirby, ♂.2.Geoffroyella, Kirby, ♂♀. 1-3 lines.divisa, Kirby, ♂.3.fuscipennis, Germar, ♂♀. 4½-6 lines.

1.gibbus, Linnæus, ♂♀. 3-4½ lines. (Plate I.fig. 3 ♂♀).

sphecoides, Kirby, ♀.

monilicornis, Kirby, ♂.

picea, Kirby, ♂.

2.Geoffroyella, Kirby, ♂♀. 1-3 lines.

divisa, Kirby, ♂.

3.fuscipennis, Germar, ♂♀. 4½-6 lines.

GENERAL OBSERVATIONS.

This genus is named fromσφὴξ, a wasp, from its apparent resemblance to some of the sand wasps.

They are not uncommon insects, and I have found them abundant in sandy spots sporting in the sunshine upon the bare ground, where they run about with great activity, the females chiefly, the males the while disportingthemselves upon any flowers that may be adjacent, and they are especially fond of Ragwort. Their prevalent colours are black and red, the latter occurring only on the abdomen in different degrees of intensity and extension, sometimes occupying the whole of that division of the body, and sometimes limited to a band across it. Much difficulty attaches to the determination of the species from the characters which separate them being extremely obscure, for it is not safe to depend upon the differences of the arrangement of colour upon them, as it varies infinitely; nor can their relative sizes be depended upon as a clue, for in individuals which must be admitted to be of the same species, size takes a wider extent of difference than in almost any of the genera of bees. St. Fargeau, who maintains the parasitism of the genus, accounts for it by saying that in depositing their eggs in the nests of theAndrenæ,Halicti, andDasypoda, theSphecodesresorts to the burrows of the species of these genera indifferent to their adaptation to its own size, and thus from the abundance or paucity of food so furnished to its larvæ, does it become a large or a small individual. Westwood says the species are parasitical upon Halictus. Latreille says they are parasites. They are certainly just as destitute of the pollinigerous apparatus as the preceding genus. Mr. Thwaites once thought he had detected a good specific character in the differing lengths of the joints of the antennæ, but I believe he never thoroughly satisfied himself of its being practically available. At all events great difficulty still attaches to their rigid and satisfactory determination. There is an array of entomologists who deny their being parasites. Mr. Kirby says they form their burrows in bare sectionsof sandbanks exposed to the sun, and nine or ten inches deep, and which they smooth with their tongues. But then, in impeachment of the accuracy of his observation, he further supposes there are three sexes, founding his statement upon what Réaumur remarks of having observed pupæ of three different sizes in the burrows. In the first place, it is not conclusive that these pupæ were those ofSphecodes, and secondly we know that this condition of three sexes is found only in the social tribes, wherein the peculiarities of the economy exact a division of offices. Therefore his adoption of this inaccuracy militates against the reception of his other statement. But Smith also states that they are not parasites, and apparently founds his assertion upon direct observation. It still, however, remains a debatable point, from the fact of the destitution of pollinigerous brushes, and thence the character of the food necessary to be stored for the larva. It would be very satisfactory if these apparent inconsistencies could be lucidly explained.

If, however, it be ultimately proved thatSphecodesis a constructive bee, as well asProsopis, we have then this fact exhibited by our native genera, that none of the subfamily of our short-tongued bees, orAndrenidæ, are parasitical. This is a remarkable peculiarity, as it is amongst them that we should almost exclusively expect to find that distinguishing economy, from the seemingly imperfect apparatus furnished in the short structure of their tongues. It is possible, however, that nature has so moulded them as to fit them chiefly for fulfilling its objects within merely a certain range of the floral reign, and which restricts them to visiting flowers which do not require the protrusion of a long organ to rifle their sweet stores.

Genus 4.Andrena,Fabricius.(PlatesII.andIII.)Melitta**c, Kirby.

Genus 4.Andrena,Fabricius.

(PlatesII.andIII.)

Melitta**c, Kirby.

Gen. Char.:Headtransverse, as wide as the thorax;ocelliin a triangle on the vertex;antennæfiliform, geniculated, the basal joint of the flagellum the longest;faceflat;clypeusconvex, transverse, quadrate, slightly rounded in front;labrumtransverse, oblong;mandiblesbidentate;tonguemoderately long, lanceolate, fringed with fine hair;paraglossæhalf the length of the tongue, abruptly terminated and setose at the extremity;labiumabout half the length of the entire apparatus, its inosculation acute;labial palpiinserted above it, below the origin of the paraglossæ in a sinus upon the sides of the tongue;maxillæirregularly lanceolate;maxillary palpisix-jointed, longer than the maxillæ, the basal joint about as long as the fourth, but more robust, the second joint the longest, the rest declining in length and substance.Thoraxovate;prothoraxnot distinct;mesothoraxquadrate;bossesprotuberant;scutellumlunate;post-scutellumlunulate;metathoraxgibbous, and pubescent laterally;wingswith three submarginal cells, and a fourth slightly commenced, the second quadrate, and with the third receiving a recurrent nervure about their middle;legsdensely pubescent, especially externally, and particularly the posterior pair, which have a long curled lock upon the trochanter beneath, the anterior upper surface of the femora clothed with long loose hair, which equally surrounds the whole of the tibiæ, but which is less long upon their plantæ, theclawsstrongly bifid.Abdomenovate, a dense fringe edging the fifth segment,and the terminal segment having a triangular central plate, its sides rigidly setose.

TheMALEdiffers in having theheadrather wider than the thorax, thevertexwhere the ocelli are placed more protuberant, themandiblesvery large and more acutely bidentate, sometimes largely forcipate and with but one acute tooth; the males in most species greatly differ from their females.

None of these insects exhibit any positive colouring of the integument, excepting in some upon the abdomen, which exhibits red bands, and is disposed to vary considerably in intensity and breadth, and in some theclypeusandfaceare of a cream-colour, but which occurs chiefly among the males. They are very dissimilar in general appearance, some being densely pubescent all over, others merely so on the head and thorax; others are banded with white decumbent down, and some are wholly unmarked upon the abdomen. These peculiarities help to group them, and thus facilitate their recognition.

NATIVE SPECIES.§Banded with red on the abdomen, the segments of which are more or less fringed.

NATIVE SPECIES.

§Banded with red on the abdomen, the segments of which are more or less fringed.

1.Hattorfiana, Fab., ♂ ♀. 6—7 lines.Lathamana, Kirby, ♀.hæmorrhoidalis, Kirby, ♀.2.zonalis, Kirby, ♂ ♀. 4½-5 lines.3.florea, Fabricius, ♂ ♀. 5-6½ lines.Rosæ, Kirby, var.4.Rosæ, Panzer, ♂ ♀. 4-6 lines. (Plate III.fig. 1 ♂ ♀.)Rosæ, Kirby, ♀.5.decorata, Smith, ♂ ♀. 5-6½ lines.6.Schrankella, Kirby, ♂ ♀. 4-5 lines.affinis, Kirby.7.cingulata, Fabricius, ♂ ♀. 3½-4 lines. (Plate III.fig. 3 ♂ ♀.)cingulata, Kirby.

1.Hattorfiana, Fab., ♂ ♀. 6—7 lines.

Lathamana, Kirby, ♀.

hæmorrhoidalis, Kirby, ♀.

2.zonalis, Kirby, ♂ ♀. 4½-5 lines.

3.florea, Fabricius, ♂ ♀. 5-6½ lines.

Rosæ, Kirby, var.

4.Rosæ, Panzer, ♂ ♀. 4-6 lines. (Plate III.fig. 1 ♂ ♀.)

Rosæ, Kirby, ♀.

5.decorata, Smith, ♂ ♀. 5-6½ lines.

6.Schrankella, Kirby, ♂ ♀. 4-5 lines.

affinis, Kirby.

7.cingulata, Fabricius, ♂ ♀. 3½-4 lines. (Plate III.fig. 3 ♂ ♀.)

cingulata, Kirby.

§§Abdominal segments edged with decumbent short down, or fringed with long hair.

8.longipes, Shuckard, ♂ ♀. 4-6 lines. (Plate III.fig. 2 ♂ ♀.)9.chrysosceles, Kirby, ♂ ♀. 3½-4½ lines.10.dorsata, Kirby, ♂ ♀. 4-4½ lines.combinata, Kirby.nudiuscula, Kirby.11.connectens, Kirby. 5 lines.12.Wilkella, Kirby, ♀. 5¾ lines.13.Coitana, Kirby, ♂ ♀. 4 lines.Shawella, Kirby.14.labialis, Kirby, ♂ ♀. 5½-6 lines.15.Lewinella, ♂. 3¾ lines.16.xanthura, Kirby, ♂ ♀. 3½-6 lines.ovatula, Kirby.17.Collinsonana, Kirby, ♂ ♀. 3½-4½ lines.digitalis, Kirby.proxima, Kirby.18.albicrus, Kirby, ♂ ♀. 4-5½ lines.barbilabris, Kirby.19.minutula, Kirby, ♂ ♀. 2½-3½ lines.parvula, Kirby.20.nana, Kirby, ♀. 3½ lines.21.convexiuscula, Kirby, ♂ ♀. 5 lines.22.Kirbyi, Curtis, ♀. 6 lines.23.fuscata, Kirby, ♀. 4½ lines.24.Afzeliella, Kirby, ♂ ♀. 4½-5 lines.25.fulvicrus, Kirby, ♂ ♀. 3½-5¼ lines.contigua, Kirby.26.fulvago, Christ. ♂ ♀. 4-4½ lines.fulvago, Kirby.27.tibialis, Kirby. 5-7¼ lines.atriceps, Kirby.28.Mouffetella, Kirby, ♂ ♀. 5-7 lines.29.nigro-ænea, Kirby, ♂ ♀. 5-6½ lines.30.bimaculata, Kirby, ♂. 5½ lines.31.Trimmerana, Kirby, ♂ ♀. 5-6 lines.32.conjuncta, Smith, ♀. 5½ lines.33.varians, Rossi, ♂ ♀. 4-5½ lines.34.helvola, Linnæus, ♂ ♀. 5-5½ lines.picipes, Kirby, ♂.angulosa, Kirby.35.Gwynana, Kirby, ♂ ♀. 4-5½ lines.pilosula, Kirby.36.angustior, Kirby, ♂ ♀. 4-5 lines.37.picicornis, Kirby, ♂ ♀. 5-6 lines.38.spinigera, Kirby, ♂ ♀. 5-6 lines.39.Smithella, Kirby, ♂ ♀. 3-6 lines.40.Lapponica, Zetterstedt, ♂ ♀. 3½-5½ lines.41.tridentata, Kirby, ♂. 4½ lines.42.denticulata, Kirby, ♂ ♀. 4-5½ lines.Listerella, Kirby.43.nigriceps, Kirby, ♀. 5 lines.44.pubescens, Kirby, ♂ ♀. 4-5 lines.rufitarsis, Kirby.fuscipes, Kirby.

8.longipes, Shuckard, ♂ ♀. 4-6 lines. (Plate III.fig. 2 ♂ ♀.)

9.chrysosceles, Kirby, ♂ ♀. 3½-4½ lines.

10.dorsata, Kirby, ♂ ♀. 4-4½ lines.

combinata, Kirby.

nudiuscula, Kirby.

11.connectens, Kirby. 5 lines.

12.Wilkella, Kirby, ♀. 5¾ lines.

13.Coitana, Kirby, ♂ ♀. 4 lines.

Shawella, Kirby.

14.labialis, Kirby, ♂ ♀. 5½-6 lines.

15.Lewinella, ♂. 3¾ lines.

16.xanthura, Kirby, ♂ ♀. 3½-6 lines.

ovatula, Kirby.

17.Collinsonana, Kirby, ♂ ♀. 3½-4½ lines.

digitalis, Kirby.

proxima, Kirby.

18.albicrus, Kirby, ♂ ♀. 4-5½ lines.

barbilabris, Kirby.

19.minutula, Kirby, ♂ ♀. 2½-3½ lines.

parvula, Kirby.

20.nana, Kirby, ♀. 3½ lines.

21.convexiuscula, Kirby, ♂ ♀. 5 lines.

22.Kirbyi, Curtis, ♀. 6 lines.

23.fuscata, Kirby, ♀. 4½ lines.

24.Afzeliella, Kirby, ♂ ♀. 4½-5 lines.

25.fulvicrus, Kirby, ♂ ♀. 3½-5¼ lines.

contigua, Kirby.

26.fulvago, Christ. ♂ ♀. 4-4½ lines.

fulvago, Kirby.

27.tibialis, Kirby. 5-7¼ lines.

atriceps, Kirby.

28.Mouffetella, Kirby, ♂ ♀. 5-7 lines.

29.nigro-ænea, Kirby, ♂ ♀. 5-6½ lines.

30.bimaculata, Kirby, ♂. 5½ lines.

31.Trimmerana, Kirby, ♂ ♀. 5-6 lines.

32.conjuncta, Smith, ♀. 5½ lines.

33.varians, Rossi, ♂ ♀. 4-5½ lines.

34.helvola, Linnæus, ♂ ♀. 5-5½ lines.

picipes, Kirby, ♂.

angulosa, Kirby.

35.Gwynana, Kirby, ♂ ♀. 4-5½ lines.

pilosula, Kirby.

36.angustior, Kirby, ♂ ♀. 4-5 lines.

37.picicornis, Kirby, ♂ ♀. 5-6 lines.

38.spinigera, Kirby, ♂ ♀. 5-6 lines.

39.Smithella, Kirby, ♂ ♀. 3-6 lines.

40.Lapponica, Zetterstedt, ♂ ♀. 3½-5½ lines.

41.tridentata, Kirby, ♂. 4½ lines.

42.denticulata, Kirby, ♂ ♀. 4-5½ lines.

Listerella, Kirby.

43.nigriceps, Kirby, ♀. 5 lines.

44.pubescens, Kirby, ♂ ♀. 4-5 lines.

rufitarsis, Kirby.

fuscipes, Kirby.

§§§§Thorax very pubescent, abdomen smooth and shining.

45.albicans, Kirby, ♂ ♀. 4-5 lines.46.pilipes, Fabricius, ♂ ♀. 5-7 lines.pratensis, Kirby.47.cineraria, Linnæus, ♂ ♀. 5-7 lines. (Plate II.fig. 2 ♂ ♀.)cineraria, Kirby.48.thoracica, Fabricius, ♂ ♀. 5-7½ lines.thoracica, Kirby.melanocephala, Kirby.49.nitida, Fourcroy, ♂ ♀. 5-6½ lines. (Plate II.fig. 3 ♂ ♀.)nitida, Kirby.50.vitrea, Smith, ♀. 6½ lines.

45.albicans, Kirby, ♂ ♀. 4-5 lines.

46.pilipes, Fabricius, ♂ ♀. 5-7 lines.

pratensis, Kirby.

47.cineraria, Linnæus, ♂ ♀. 5-7 lines. (Plate II.fig. 2 ♂ ♀.)

cineraria, Kirby.

48.thoracica, Fabricius, ♂ ♀. 5-7½ lines.

thoracica, Kirby.

melanocephala, Kirby.

49.nitida, Fourcroy, ♂ ♀. 5-6½ lines. (Plate II.fig. 3 ♂ ♀.)

nitida, Kirby.

50.vitrea, Smith, ♀. 6½ lines.

§§§§The entire body densely pubescent.

51.fulva, Schrank, ♂ ♀. 4-6½ lines. (Plate II.fig. 1 ♂ ♀.)fulva, Kirby.52.Clarkella, Kirby, ♂ ♀. 4½-6½ lines.

51.fulva, Schrank, ♂ ♀. 4-6½ lines. (Plate II.fig. 1 ♂ ♀.)

fulva, Kirby.

52.Clarkella, Kirby, ♂ ♀. 4½-6½ lines.

GENERAL OBSERVATIONS.

Fabricius seems to have named this genus fromανθρήνη,a wasp, but why, it is impossible to say. Although one name is as good as another, it being indifferent what the name may be, yet where so evident an attempt to give a name pertinence is conspicuous, it is remarkable that it should be so little relevant, for none of the characteristics of a wasp or hornet are exhibited in these insects.

Possibly it was from the genus being the most numerous in species that Dr. Leach was induced to givethis subfamily its collective designation, making the other genera thus converge to it as to a centre. He took its elliptical form as typical. Indeed, it is remarkable how very judiciously this was done, for it is a form not apparent among the normal bees excepting in two exceptional cases, the one upon the frontiers of this subfamily, in almost debatable land, where the last of theAndrenidæand the first of theApidæseem almost to melt into one another; and in the other case, in the parasiticalNomada, whose parasitism is in every instance, but one only, restricted to the first subfamily. A different type of form prevails amongst theApidæ, upon which I shall have subsequently occasion to speak.

These insects are not distinguished for any elaborate economy. Varying in the species, some prefer vertical banks, others sloping undulations, and again others horizontal flat ground or hard down-trodden pathways. Some burrow singly, and others are gregarious, collected in great numbers upon one spot. They are, perhaps, the most inartificial burrowers of all the bees. Their tunnels vary from five to nine or ten inches in depth, and in some species they are formed with other small tunnels slanting off from the main cylinder. The sides and bottom are merely smoothed, without either drapery or polish. The little cells thus formed are then supplied with the usual mixture of pollen and honey kneaded together, which in the larger species forms a mass of about the size of a moderate red currant, its instinct teaching it the quantity necessary for the nurture of the young which shall proceed from the egg that it then deposits upon this collected mass of food. The aperture of each little tunnel is closed with particles of the earth or sand wherein the insect burrows,and it proceeds to the elaboration of another receptacle for a fresh brood until its stock of eggs becomes exhausted. Some species have two broods hatched in the year, especially the earlier ones,—for several present themselves with the earliest flowers,—but others are restricted to but one. The quantity of pollen they collect is considerable, and in fact they are supplied with an apparatus additional to what is furnished to any of the other genera in a curled rather long lock of hair that emanates from the posterior trochanters. This, with the fringes that edge the lower portion and sides of the metathorax, as well as the usual apparatus upon the posterior legs, enables the insect to carry in each flight home a comparatively large quantity of pollen, but perhaps scarcely enough at once for the nurture of one young one, and it therefore repeats the same operation until sufficient is accumulated.

The exact period occupied by their transformations is not strictly known; it will, of course, vary in the species, as also in those in which two broods succeed each other in the year, but the larva rapidly consumes its store and then undergoes its transformation. It does not spin a cocoon, but in its pupa state it is covered all over with a thin pellicle, which adheres closely to all the distinct parts of the body. It is not known how this is formed; perhaps it is a membrane which transudes in a secretion through the skin of the larva, or it may be this itself converted to its new use, which seems to be for the protection of all the parts of the now transmuting imago, until these in due course shall have acquired their proper consistency.

These insects in their perfect state vary very considerably in size, both individually and specifically, theformer depending upon both the quantity and quality of the food stored up, for the pollen of different plants varies possibly in its amount of nutriment, else why should we observe so marked a difference in the sizes of individuals whose parent instinct would prompt to furnish them with an uniform and equal supply. The differences of specific appearance is often very considerable in long genera, and perhaps in no genus is it more conspicuously so than inAndrena, for here we have some wholly covered with dense hair, and others almost glabrous; others again with the thorax only pubescent; some are black, some white, some fulvous, or golden tinted, and some red; some we find banded with decumbent down, and others with merely lateral spots of this close hair, but the most prevalent colour is brown, which will sometimes by immaturity take a fulvous or reddish hue. In many males we see excentrically large transversely square heads broader than the thorax, which also have widely spreading forcipate mandibles, with often a downward projecting spine at their base beneath; and it is chiefly these extravagantly formed males which are most dissimilar to their own partners that the result of observation alone confirms their specific identity. In other cases the males are so like their females that a mere neophyte would unite them. In many males the clypeus and labrum are white, which also occurs in some females; for instance, inA. labialis, but this peculiarity is found more rarely in this sex. The species are much exposed to the restricting influences of several parasites, whose parasitism is of a varying character, but the term should properly be applied only to the bees which deposit their eggs in their nests, and whose young, like that of the cuckoo amongthe birds, thrives at the expense of the young of the sitos by consuming its food, and thus starving it. These parasites consist of many of the species ofNomada, very pretty and gay insects, but in every case totally unlike the bee whose nest they usurp. Several of the species of theseNomadæare not limited to any particular species ofAndrena, but infest several indifferently, whereas others have no wider range in their spoliation than one single species, to which they always confine themselves. In my observations under the genusNomadaI shall notify those which they assail amongst theAndrenæ, as well as the other genera which they also infest.

The others which attack them are more properly positive enemies than parasites, for they prey upon the bees themselves, or, as in the case of the remarkable genusStylops, render the bee abortive by consuming its viscera and ovaries. I have spoken of these insects in the chapter upon parasites, to which I must refer, but I may here add that the female is apterous, and never quits the body of the bee. Much mystery attaches to their history in which their impregnation is involved, for the male, immediately upon undergoing its change into the imago, escapes through the dorsal plates of the abdomen of the bee wherein it was bred and takes flight. In localities where they occur they may be usually taken on the wing in the month of May. The female would seem to be viviparous, and produces extraordinary multitudes at one birth, extending to hundreds. Being born as larvæ within the body of the bee they seek to escape from their confinement, and find the opportunity in the suture which separates the mesothorax from the metathorax. Their extreme minutenessadmits of their passing through the very constricted tube which connects the abdomen with the thorax. Having now escaped into the air they alight upon the flowers which the bee frequents, and thence they affix themselves to other bees which may visit these plants, and thus perpetuate the activity of the function it is their instinct to fulfil. That many may be lost there can be no question; but Nature is very prodigal of life, for by life it endows life, and thus its activity is enlarged to a wider circle. Although the maturedStylopshas preyed upon all the internal organs of the bee its attack is not immediately fatal, although the life of the creature may be thus considerably abridged, but it seems to live sufficiently long afterwards to disseminate the distribution of theStylops. A small blackishPediculus, which Mr. Kirby calledPediculus Melittæ, is found also both upon the flowers the bees frequent and also upon the bees themselves, especially the pubescent ones; but this insect is not limited to the genusAndrena, as I shall have occasion to notice. The flower I have chiefly found them upon is the Dandelion (Leontodon). Their peculiar economy and connection with the bees is unknown; it may be merely an accidental and temporary attachment, but they even accompany them to their burrows.

Another and more curious case of attack upon the young of theAndrena, is instanced in the reputed parasitism of the Coleopterous genusMeloë. The perfect insect is a large apterous, fleshy, heteromerous beetle, ten times as big as the bee. Its vermicle, having issued from the egg, has the appearance of a very small pediculus, of an orange colour. They are often seen upon flowers, and, like the former pediculus, attach themselves to such suitableAndrenaas may happen to visit the flowers they are upon; and, it is said, that they are thus conveyed by the bee to its domicile, and there feed to maturity upon the larva of the bee. I have no faith in the correctness of this statement, for it is not credible that so small a creature as the larva of anAndrenacould fully feed the larva of so large a beetle. Observation has not satisfactorily confirmed it, and the connection may be, as in the former case, merely accidental.

Although, perhaps, not a strictly scientific course, it is certainly a matter of convenience in very long genera to break them up into divisions, framed upon external characters, readily perceptible, and, by which means, the species sought for may be more readily found. This I have done in the preceding list of the species, and which are based upon very prominent features. A slight divarication from the typical neuration of the wing is observed in some species, but it is not of a sufficiently marked character to afford a divisional separation, and even much less a subgeneric one. I have therefore passed it unnoticed. The commencing entomologist will often find considerable difficulty at first in determining the species of this genus, for so much depends upon condition; and where the colour of the pubescence is the chief characteristic, a very little exposure to the atmosphere much alters their physiognomy, but time, patience, and perseverance will ripen the novice into an adept. The connection of the males with the females, from their ordinarily great dissimilarity, was only to be accomplished by positive observation, but now that this, in the majority of cases, is effected, good descriptions facilitate their discrimination.

The most conspicuous species are theHattorfianaandtheRosæfor size and colour; theSchrankellais also a very pretty species; and perhaps the commonest of all thecingulatais the prettiest of all, with its yellow nose and red abdomen; in the next section we may point out thelongipesas being a very elegant insect,[3]as are also thechrysoscelesand thehelvola. In this section we find those most subject to the attacks of theStylops, for instance thelabialis,convexiuscula,picicornis,Afzeliella,nigro-ænea,Trimmerana,Gwynana, etc. The whole of the third and fourth sections are splendid insects, especially thefulvain the last. The comparative rarity of some results chiefly from an exceedingly local habitat. Many of the species may be found everywhere where insects can be collected, consequently, all over the United Kingdom. In all the three seasons of the year, which prompt animal life, some of the species may be collected, and the flowers they chiefly prefer are the catkins, especially of the sallow, the early flowering-fruits, the hedge-row blossoms, the heath, the broom, the dandelion, chickweed, and very many others.

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