1879.] 39 



line. ? with two long narrow spots along the margins of the eyes, extending 



from above the antennsse almost to the base of the mandibles... 



punctulatissima, Sm. 



2. Face shorter in both sexes. $ with the white colour of the face not extending 

 above the insertion of the antennse. Mandibles black. ? with a white spot 

 on the margin of the eyes, sometimes wanting signata, Nyl. 



N.B. — The $ described by F. Smith in the 2nd ed. of his Brit. Hymenopt. Apidse 

 is the $ of confusa ; I have specimens named by himself. 



AA. Smaller species ; g with the whole or nearly the whole of the posterior and 

 intermediate basal joints of the tarsi yellow, ? with the 1st segment of the 

 body very finely or irregularly punctured. 



B. Scape of the antennse in the $ more or less swollen. Spots of the face in the 

 $ sub-triangular or linear, lateral, and parallel in direction to the inner 

 margins of the eyes. 



C. Antennse longer. Scape of $ less swollen, face hairy, or mandibles with a 

 pale line. ? , thorax with two yellow spots on the anterior margin. 

 Yertex of head not incrassate. 



D. (? , face hairy. 1st segment of body shining, very largely and remotely 

 punctured. Mandibles black. 

 ? , flagellum pale beneath hyalinata, Sm. 



DD. $ , face not hairy. 1st segment of body dull, punctuation fine. Mandi- 

 bles and scape of antennse with a pale yellow line. 

 $ , flagellum entirely dark confusa, Nyl. 



CC. Antennae shorter. Scape of (? very largely swollen, face not hairy. Mandi- 

 bles black. ? , thorax without spots in front. Vertex of head incrassate... 



brevicornis, Nyl., = jjjer/bra^or, Sm. 



BB. Scape of antennse in ^ not thickened, its sides sub-parallel. Basal segment of 

 abdomen dull, largely and closely punctured. ? , face round, spots of the 

 face sub-oval and placed diagonally pictipes, Nyl., = varipes, Sm. 



All the species einiinerated above are, I believe, perfectly distinct. 

 Smith, in his "British Hymenoptera," describes three other species; 

 of these, rupestris seems to me to be only a variety of comvinnis ; the 

 other two, variegata and hifasciata* may be British, but I think their 

 claim to a place in our list is at present very doubtful, and I have 

 therefore omitted them. 



Holmesdale, Upper Tooting : 

 \Oth June, 1879. 



* Those were included in the British Lists on the authority of Leaehian examples in the 

 British Museum. The now notorious question as to the native origin of many " Leaehian " 

 insects has come prominently before me with regard to auother Order. I thoroughly believe, 

 that in all cases, these supposed Devonshire msects were really from North Italy.— R. McLaohlan. 



