BY WALTER W. FR0C3GATT. 81 



The beetles began to emerge from the earth, in which the larv« 

 had buried themselves, about the middle of November. 



They are often found in the summer time hiding among the 

 dead leaves among the bushes or clinging to the twigs. 



HYMENOPTERA. 



Lestis bombiliformis, Smith. 



This beautiful carpenter bee forms its nest in the flower stalks 

 of the grass-trees found about Sydney, after they have borne the 

 flower and have become dry and hard. It begins by boring a cir- 

 cular hole, 3^ lines in diameter, about three or four feet up the stalk, 

 in towards the centre, when it turns downwards, excavating 

 nearh^ all the pith out for a distance of about four inches down, 

 then working upwards, so that the tunnel is about eight inches 

 from end to end, with an average of half an inch in diameter. 

 The cells are made about half an inch in length, with a ball of 

 bee-bread and an egg deposited in the far end, each being 

 partitioned off from the other by a stout pad or wad of triturated 

 pith. I have never found the whole length of the chamber filled 

 with bee larvae, a space being usually left unoccupied in the 

 centre. 



Larva a dull white-coloured grub of cylindrical shape, attenuated 

 towards both extremities, about half an inch in length when full 

 grown. They can be found in all stages about November. 



(J. Bee 7^ lines in length, bright metallic green, with the face 

 yellow, eyes brown; antennae, ocelli, and mouth parts black, sides 

 of the face, back of head, thorax and legs thickly covered with 

 short golden yellow hairs, with three dark parallel bars of blackish 

 hairs crossing the centre and on either side; above the Avings 

 clouded with brown, covered with fine brown spots over the 

 marginal cells, and having fine metallic purple iridescence; upper 

 surface of the abdominal segments finely rugose, without hairs; 

 under surface covered with dark brown hairs, the tip with black. 



Q. Bee 9 lines in length, of a brilliant metallic blue colour, 

 with the abdominal segments showing coppery tints, face and 

 6 



