SEES. Sll 



that of the steady hum of the hive bee. It is more 

 jerky, and resembles the angry sound of the hive 

 bee when it has been disturbed. As the hive bees 

 were gathering nectar and pollen from the honey- 

 suckle flowers near by, we could distinctly recognise 

 the difference between the two. We found tough 

 leaves of the waratah cut by these bees. This leaf- 

 cutterr is a black and white banded bee, the white 

 bands being thick fringes of white hairs on the 

 dorsal side of the abdomen. Tufts of hairs are 

 present at the sides of the head and body; fringes 

 occur on the under side of the abdomen, and these 

 were laden with pollen in the specimen examined. 



The mandibles are very strong; they are broader 

 than those of the hive-bee; they have four stout 

 teeth, and they interlock and slightly overlap. The 

 legs have dense fringes of white hairs, and on the 

 front leg is a comb for cleaning the antennae. The 

 back legs are fitted for gathering pollen, and in addi- 

 tion have two very stout tibial spurs which probably 

 aid in holding the piece of leaf when it is being 

 carried off. On visiting Clarence Siding the next 

 year it was found that the bees had been cutting 

 hard at the young leaves of wistaria and honey- 

 suckle, but especially at the leaves of the hazel nut, 

 so that it seems that no preference is given to any 

 one of the chosen plants, but it visits the leaves of 

 those with the greatest number of fresh young 

 leaves. (Observations on Leaf-cutting Bees by 

 M. N. Brewster — "Australian Naturalist.") 



