CURRENT NOTES. 113 



K., terrestrh, L. ; Andrena parenla, K. 5 <? , praecox, Scop. ? <? , apicata, 

 Smith ? (? (the species formerly known in England under the incorrect 

 title of Japponica, Zett.), morawitzi, Ths. J ^ , fnlvicrus, K. $ <? , extricata, 

 Smith (^ , i^pinlijera, K. 3' > nlbtcrus, K. <? , albicans, Miill. c^ , and jyrojmiqua, 

 Schenck <? . Also Nomada fmata, Panz. <? , Colletes cunicidaria, L. <? , 

 and Osmia bicornis, L. ^ . Upon Ranunculus ficaria : Andrena parmda, 

 K. $ ^, Anthophora pilipes,Y. ^ , and Bombtis terrestris, Jj. J. On the 

 26th of March the females had mostly disappeared, while males were 

 in profusion. During these two days the females were seldom observed 

 to collect pollen. This occupation is only commenced by them after fructi- 

 fication, which had consequently not yet generally taken place. I>ut on 

 the 31st of the month, on a subsequent visit, the females were noticed 

 industriously working for the needs of the new brood. Their golden- 

 yellow heavily-laden feet could be everywhere noticed, pendulous 

 between the sallow blooms. On the 31st of March Bombus rajclluslc, 

 and the German cognafus, Steph., were captured, as also Andrena 

 cineraria, L. <? , nitida Fourc. 5 , and ovina, Klug J ^ . 



The following note on Bombus visurgiae, Alfken, may also be 

 interesting. In the second Part of his valuable " Synopsis of British 

 Hymenoptera " (Trans. Eat. Soc. London, 1884, pp. 232-3), Mr. Edward 

 Saunders announced the identity of Bombus varinbilis, Schmied. and 

 cognatns, Ste})h. But after a renewed examination of Stepliens' type 

 Mr. Saunders came to the conclusion (Eat. Month. Mag., 1894, p. 108), 

 that it is an immature agrorum, and adds that Stephens' name 

 should sink into the synonymy of the latter species. For the commonly 

 occurring Continental species, the B. cognatns of Delia-Torre and 

 Schmiedeknecht (but not of Stephens) i\Ir. Alfken proposes the name 

 B. visurgiae. This species is found in the sandy dunes of the Weser, 

 and on the Islands off tlie Baltic coast. In his Monograph of the species 

 of Bombus inhabiting Thicriugea, 1877, 419, Schmiedeknecht uses the name 

 B. muscoriua, Fab. for this species, but later acceiDts the j^roposal of 

 Delia-Torre to call the Continental species cognatns, Steph., on the ground 

 that the identity of Fabricius' species with this form cannot satisfactorily 

 be made out. To use the name muscornm. Fab. (nee. L.) for the Con- 

 tinental species (B. visurgiae, Alfken, cognatns, Auct.) is considered by 

 Mr. Alfken impossible, since the brief diagnosis covers agrorum and the 

 colours of variabilis (cfr. Schmied., Apidae Enr., 344). To call the 

 Continental species senilis. Fab. is out of the question, because the 

 diagnosis : " B. hirsutus cinereus," contradicts. Finally, the name 

 veniistns, Smith, cannot be applied to the species, because under this name 

 Smith distributed colour varieties of variabilis. After this survey of the 

 synonymy, Mr. xllfken concludes that the German species, which shows 

 no variation in colour, and which he has described in liis work on the 

 Hymenoptera of the Island Juist under the vernacular name of 

 " Diinen = hummel," must receive a new Latin title. Bombus visurgiae 

 makes its nests in sandhills on the banks of the River Weser, and is an 

 attractive object from its bright yellow thorax. 



PRACTICAL HINTS. 



Linoleum as a substitute for cork. — With reference to my friend 

 Mr. Arthur Robinson's remarks, quoted ante p. 17, about linoleum floor- 

 cloth as a possible substitute for cork, I may mention that an esteemed 



