Eristalis. 429 



larger or smaller, yellow or reddish side spots as in anthophorinus ; it 

 is clothed with long, dense hairs similar to those on thorax but gener- 

 ally paler at the apex; at the basal corners are generally more or 

 less numerous black hairs and on the first segment are greyish white 

 hairs. The colour of the pile may vary towards being more black 

 on thorax and the basal part of abdomen, and there is a variety in 

 which scutellmn is darker, the abdominal spots smaller or obscure, 

 thorax quite black-haired and first and second abdominal segments 

 black-haired and the third with more or fewer black hairs on the 

 front part to almost quite black-haired; (this variety may answer to 

 var. furvus Verr. but this variety is described with no black hairs on 

 abdomen). Venter black with long, blackish hairs, yellow only at the 

 apex. Legs black, the extreme apex of femora and the basal third 

 or more of tibiæ yellowish white, middle tarsi pale at the base; hind 

 tibiæ somewhat compressed and a little curved, hind metatarsi not 

 thickened; legs haired as usual, the hairs folio wing the ground colour, 

 those on femora somewhat long and dense. Wings hyaline, generally 

 there is a more or less distinct fascia from the stigma downwards, 

 mainly formed of a seaming of the veins and sometimes very indistinct. 

 Stigma small, about quadrate. Squamulæ and fringes blackish. Balteres 

 with the knob blackish, the peduncle paler. 



Female. Vertex and frons broad, widening downwards, brownish 

 yellow pruinose, blackish about the ocelli and shining above the 

 antennæ; the hairs yellow. Antennæ paler than in the male. Ab- 

 domen black, without spots; generally there are grey hairs on first 

 segment and some few reddish yellow hairs in the middle of the front 

 part of second segment, then the hairs are black on the rest of second 

 and on the greater part of third segment and at the apex they are 

 pale yellow or whitish ; in the dark variety mentioned under the male 

 they are all quite or almost quite black and only reddish or whitish 

 at the apex of abdomen. Wings generally with the fascia more distinct 

 than in the male. 



Length 11—14 mm. 



This is a beautiful species and rather fike a Humble Bee, and 

 more so than E. mithophorinus as the pile is more velvet. 



JH. intricarius is common in Denmark and it occurs, I think, on 

 all suitable localities all over the country. My dates are ^''U—^^h. It 

 occurs in fens, meadows and woods, generally near water, and it is 

 seen on various flowers. The pupa was taken in Gurre Vang at a 

 ditch first in August, it developed soon after (G. Larsen). The species 

 is an extremely good hoverer and presents a beautiful sight when it 

 is seen hovering motionless about eight feet above the ground, and 



