BEES. 129 



The genus Vespa has representatives in many parts of the 

 world ; but the largest and handsomest species are perhaps those 

 which inhabit the East Indies. One of the largest is Vespa 

 Mandarinia, Smith, which is common in China and Japan, and 

 measures fully two inches across the wings. There are several 

 smaller East Indian species of more varied colours than ours ; 

 some are quite black, and others are black with a broad reddish 

 band on the abdomen ; or the whole abdomen may be reddish, 

 except at the base. 



The sting of some of the foreign wasps is a serious matter, and 

 liable to produce unpleasant effects for a long time afterwards. 

 Mitchell, during one of his exploring expeditions in Eastern 

 Australia, was stung by a wasp from a nest built in a tree near 

 which he passed. The pain was so severe that it made him cry 

 out ; and affected the muscles of the injured leg so much, that 

 when he dismounted in the evening he fell on attempting to stand 

 upon it ; and the place was marked by a livid spot of the size of 

 a sixpence, which did not disappear for six months afterwards. 

 The species, which Mitchell calls Abispa Australiana, has not yet 

 been correctly identified ; the description given corresponds fairly 

 with Monoreb'm Ephippium, Fabr., an Australian species belonging 

 to the Eumenidce ; but the habits of this species, as Smith remarks, 

 are not at all like those of Mitchell's insect ; and it is evident that 

 the latter was one of the true Vespidce-, though there does not 

 appear to be any species in the collection of the British Museum 

 which can be reco2;nised as Mitchell's insect. 



Hymenoptera Aculeata — Anthophila. 



All the sexes winged ; antennae twelve-jointed in the females 

 and thirteen-jointed in the males, the former generally armed 

 with a sting, and with the first joint of the tarsi more or less 

 dilated ; " hairs more or less branched or plumose, at least those on 

 the thorax." — (E. Saunders.) 



Family I. — Andrenidce. 



Solitary species ; tongue short, acute, or else obtuse and 

 emarginate ; labium and terminal maxillary lobes not forming a 

 long proboscis ; hind legs very hairy ; basal joint of the hind tarsi 

 but slightly dilated, and never externally dilated into an angle. 



The Andrenidce are small dark-coloured bees, often more or less 



I 



