13(5 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 



Their nests are placed in. different situations, some species having 

 different habits from others in this respect. Thus of the English species, 

 B. terrestris makes its nest in holes in the ground, at the depth of a foot 

 or more, floored with leaves and lined with wax, and often entered by a 

 winding passage. Others, as B. lapidarius, make their waxen nests among 

 stones; others, as B. muscorum, among moss, which they mix and join 

 with wax. The nests are enlarged as the community increases. In the 

 spring the female or queen bee, having awaked from her torpid state, roams 

 about until she finds a suitable place for a nest. On deciding, she 

 immediarely collects a small amount of pollen mixed with honey, and in 

 this deposits from seven to fourteen eggs, gradually adding to the pollen 

 mass until the first brood is hatched. 



As regards the Bees which I have examined, some were taken at 

 Quebec by me some years ago, and one or two species here. 1 have to 

 thank Mr. Caulfield for the principal part of the material. 



There are certain differences between the sexes which render it easy 

 to distinguish them. Not to enter too scientifically upon this part of the 

 subject, I give the principal points of difference. 



The females may be known by their large size, and the corbiculae or 

 baskets on the posterior tibiae, formed by a fringe of long hairs on each side- 



The workers generally resemble the females very closely, the only 

 observable difference being in the size, and this varies greatly. They may 

 be found of all sizes from the female downwards, so that it is impos- 

 sible to tell the difference in some cases. 



The male is smaller than the female and larger than the generality of 

 the workers. It has one joint more in the antennae and one section more 

 in the abdomen than the female. 



Cresson says a very conspicuous character to distinguish the sexes is 

 this : In the male the inner tooth of the tarsal claws is almost as long as 

 the outer, in the female the inner tooth is quite short compared with the 

 outer. The posterior tibiae are without baskets, but have a fringe of hairs 

 on the outer side. 



Apathus, Newm. 



The following remarks on this genus are from Mr. Cresson's " List of 

 the North American Species of Bombus and Apathus" Proc. Ent. Soc'y 

 Phil., 1863: 



