270 BRITISH BEES. 



very acuminate, nearly as long as the tongue ; maxillary 

 palpi very short, two-jointed, the basal joint the shortest, 

 and the terminal one obtuse at its apex, where it is 

 furnished with brief setae. THORAX subglobose, pubescent, 

 the pubescence almost concealing its divisions; pro- 

 thorax inconspicuous; meso thorax convex, subglabrous 

 on the disk ; scuteHum lunulate, convex ; metathorax 

 truncated ; wings with two submarginal cells, the com- 

 mencement of a third slightly indicated, the two com- 

 plete ones nearly equal, the second of which receives 

 both the recurrent nervures, one towards each extremity ; 

 leys robust, very setose; the posterior tibia slightly 

 curved longitudinally, concavo-convex, broad at the ex- 

 tremity ; all the plants as long as their tibiae and as 

 broad at the base but decreasing at the apex to the 

 width of the following tarsal joints, the anterior pair 

 fimbriated externally, and the posterior pair clothed, on 

 the inner surface, with a dense, short brush, the three 

 following joints short, subequal, the claw-joint as long 

 as the three, and the claws with a broad basal inner 

 tooth. ABDOMEN ovate, with parallel sides, convex 

 above, truncated and concave at its base to fit the meta- 

 thorax, distended horizontally in length, or with an up- 

 ward curve, the four first segments slightly constricted, 

 and their edges usually clothed with decumbent down ; 

 the terminal segment obtusely pointed and slightly de- 

 pressed transversely towards its extremity ; the ventral 

 segments commencing with the second, clothed with 

 parallel layers of moderately long, straight setae, which 

 in each parallel are of equal length, but those on the 

 fifth segment are the shortest, upon all of which the in- 

 sect conveys the pollen it collects. 



The FEMALES of the second division of the genus 

 scarcely differ. 



