August, 1913.] 169 



Another form of the Spring examples of parvula $ has the 

 scutellum polished and with very sparse deep punctures, the stigma 

 dark, the abdomen densely sculptured, but without evident puctura- 

 tiou. Similar forms occur in the summer generation. I received 

 from Baden females exactly like this British form, all taken singly on 

 Veronica (April 30th, May 13tli, April 28th) and others subsequently. 



Andrena parvula is one of the earliest Spring bees ; in a bleak 

 locality in North Wilts. I noted it on daisies on March 20th, on one 

 occasion (1886). This year the weather in Devonshire was very 

 unfavourable, and my children brought in the first specimens of both 

 sexes, quite fresh in condition, taken on flowers of Brassica, in the 

 garden on April 14th. Subsequently, owing to unfavourable weather, 

 the females had few opportunities for storing their cells, so that this 

 sex was still out in perfectly fresh condition on May 13th, on Bellis, 

 Myosotis, Taraxacum, Veronica, Crat^gus, &c. A typical fresh ^ was 

 taken at Dawlish on May 1st, 1911, an exceptionally late date, and one 

 on May 11th, on the highly-elevated land of Dartmoor, which is less 

 surprising, since Andrena apicata, Sm., and its parasite] Nomada 

 borealis, both March species on the coast, occurred with it. In very 

 favourable seasons the summer generation (jninutula) appears at the 

 end of June, and in fact the two broods are exactly coincident with 

 those of A. gwynana. But more usually the second brood is not 

 noticed until July, and both sexes may be found freely in August. 

 In the abnormal summer of 1888 the first ^ minutula, did not appear 

 till August 7th, and fresh specimens of this sex occurred well into 

 September, but in that season, owing to the unfavourable weather, 

 A. nigroienea was still out at the end of August, A. xanthura $ in 

 September, and Osmia ventralis, Panz. (leaiana, Kirby), and Megachile 

 centuncularis, in October. 



A. sp. Of. This form is in England of later appearance than 

 A. parvtda, for its normal time of emergence is the first half of May. 

 Sometimes it is seen at the end of April, in fact its time of appearance 

 almost exactly agrees with that of A. nana, the two being frequently 

 found in company. I have recently examined a series of specimens 

 taken from a colony unmixed with any of the allied species, and 

 though the female is very similar to parvula, I have seen none which 

 cannot be readily separated. In collections the $ is often placed 

 under minuhda-parvula, and the c? under nana, but there is no doubt 

 of their distinctness. It is much attacked by Stylops, as is nana, 

 whereas parvtda is rarely parasitized. These bees are most partial to 



