MR. NEWPORT'S OBSERVATIONS ON THE GENUS ANTHOPHORABIA. 81 



Mas. Caput magnum. Oculi stemmatosi. Antennce 10-articulatae ; articulo lmo globoso, minutissimo; 

 2do arcuato, magnopere dilatato, dimidio anteriore subtus excavato ; 3tio magno ; 4to adhuc majore, 

 globoso v. subangulato ; 5to, 6to, 7moque minimis, cyatbiformibus ; 8vo, 9no, lOmoque auctis, clavam 

 solidam ovalem efFormantibus. Aim abbreviatae. 



As the specimens which I now possess afford some specific characters which I do not 

 remember to have observed in the specimens formerly obtained at Kichborough, and as I 

 do not possess any of those to compare with them, I propose to name the species I have 

 obtained at Gravesend, provisionally, in the event of its proving to be distinct, Anthopho- 

 rabia fasciata, and to describe it as follows : — 



Anthophobabia fasciata ; Mas. Fulva, fasciis 5 transversis abdominalibus saturatiori- 

 bus, antennarum articulis anterioribus oculis prothoracis margine posteriore macu- 

 laque subalari utrinque in mesothorace nigrescentibus, pedibus subarcuatis robustis 

 ambulatoriis, trochantere femorumque paris secnndi parte terminali subtus spinulis 

 minutis dense barbatis, tibiis tarsisque omnibus fortiter spinosis. — Long. lin. 1. — 

 Fcem. Mgro-aenea nitida, lineis 2 longitudinalibus in mesothorace scutelloque albi- 

 dis, abdomine ovali elongato acuto fasciis transversis saturatioribus pilis albidis mar- 

 ginatis, oculis rufescentibus, pedibus flavescentibus, femoribus saturatioribus, tibiis 

 rectis elongatis pilosis, tarsis pilosis fortiter spinosis. 



Hab. in nidis Anthophorce retusce, juxta Gravesend in com. Cantio. 



These insects were found while myself and a friend were searching for the larvae of 

 Monodontomerus nitidus, on the 14th of September, 1851, at Gravesend ; and although 

 met with in only one bee's nest, I was fortunate in securing nearly one hundred and fifty 

 specimens. Most of these were still in the nymph or pupa state, but some of them had 

 already become imagos. On examining them on the following day, I found that several 

 more had recently changed ; and while I was engaged in watching them, I had the satis- 

 faction to observe two males throw off their coverings. Having placed the whole in a 

 shallow vessel covered with glass, I was enabled to watch their proceedings. These males 

 began immediately to traverse round the interior of the vessel leisurely, but very assi- 

 duously, touching and turning many of the yet undeveloped female nymphs with their 

 antennae. Occasionally they raised their rudimentary wings, but made no attempt to fly, 

 or even to leap, as the females frequently do, although they were in no way confined for 

 room. In this manner they continued to roam about, without making the slightest effort 

 to escape, their sole attention being evidently directed to the unhatched females. 



The males appear to be very few in number in proportion to the females, as out of the 

 hundred and fifty specimens obtained I could only find eleven. They are also very short- 

 lived, as the whole of those which came forth in the afternoon of the day subsequent to 

 that on which they were found, were dead on the following morning. The females were 

 much longer-lived, and not only crept about freely, but occasionally leaped to a consider- 

 able distance. 



I was not able to observe any direct communication between the sexes, notwithstanding 

 the apparent attentions of the males in the way I have mentioned. Yet there afterwards 

 appeared reason to believe that some of the females had been fecundated, probably, as for- 



VOL. XXI. M 



