CLASSIFICATION OF THE BEES. 49 



CLASSIFICATION OF THE BEES, OK THE 



SUI'ERFAMILY APOIDEA. 



BY WILLIAM H. ASIIMEAD. 



Iii the Journal of the New York Entomological Society, for 

 March, 1899, I separated the Hynienoptera into ten superfamilies. 

 The first of these or the Apoidea comprises the bees, among which, 

 especially among the social bees, are to be found probably the 

 highest or most specialized types in the order ; hence my reason for 

 beginning the classification of the Hynienoptera with these insects. 



Our own bees, and indeed the bees of most countries, except those 

 of the European fauna, are but little studied and very imperfectly 

 known. 



Thomas Say, Frederick Smith, Ezra T. Cresson, Charles Robert- 

 son, Abbe Provancher, Win. J. Fox, T. D. A. Cockerell and a few 

 others have done much towards making our species known, but 

 there is still much to be done before we shall gain a knowledge of 

 the immense number of species found in our vast country. Our 

 study of them is just begun. 



Prof. T. D. A. Cockerell's recent work on the bee fauna of the 

 arid regions of New Mexico, Arizona, etc., illustrates well how little 

 we really know of our bee fauna and what may be accomplished by 

 one energetic student in the way of turning up new or undescribed 

 species in a comparative limited area. 



What Prof. Cockerell has done with the bee fauna of his part of 

 the country could, I feel sure, be duplicated by energetic collectors 

 and students in other parts of the country, since, I believe, we know 

 scarcely twenty per cent of our indigenous species. There is, there- 

 fore, an immense unexplored field, offering the best opportunity for 

 original work and discoveries, still opened to the student who will 

 take up the study of our bees. 



It is earnestly hoped, therefore, that the early publication of these 

 tables will stimulate, aid and encourage our younger students to 

 take up and study these neglected insects. 



Before proceeding with my tables I desire briefly to call special 

 attention to two most valuable works, treating upon the European 

 bee fauna, which have appeared lately, and upon which much of my 

 own work is based, viz., 



TRANS. AM. ENT. BOC. XXVI. (7) MAY. 1895). 



