1885.] j^7 



in these places several times, it digs away with great rapidity, and 

 throws out the dirt exactly like a Pomjnhts. The next two species, 

 ferruginatus, Schk., and hyaUnatus, Schk., belong more to the open 

 country, their chief habitat seems to be along the steep bracks which 

 are of such frequent occurrence in the pasture fields, at the base of 

 the hills, which are locally called meres, and where the herbage is short 

 and scanty, and in hard dry patches these bees are most likely to be 

 found ; they are very local and appear to be more social, breeding to- 

 gether in little colonies of ten or twelve individuals, and are most 

 easily caught by standing quite still a little below the breeding place. 

 One thing we have observed with regard to these bees, which I think 

 especially worth noticing, is the attraction of males to the female. 

 If a female is caught and^kept a short time in the net, she will attract 

 all the males in the neighbourhood towards her, and my nephew tella 

 me that this is also the case after she has been killed if exposed in an 

 open box ; the great majority of our captures have been males. The 

 last to be mentioned here is variegafus, v. Hag., this seems very rare, 

 and we have only met with it in one locality, it is along these same 

 "meres " in the hard dry patches that Crahro varius, Lep, is caught. 



There is no doubt this genus is a very peculiar one, whether it 

 is parasitic or not remains still an open question. My own opinion 

 is that it is not, while my nephew, who has captured a great number 

 this year, inclines the other way. I hope next season, now we know 

 of their whereabouts, we shall be able to satisfy ourselves on this 

 point. I have caught several in company with various Salicti, but I 

 have also taken them where no Halicti occur. I have several times 

 seen them digging their own burrows, which they do with the rapidity 

 of a sand w^asp ; and I have also captured them with their heads 

 covered with a yellow pollen. 

 j The flowers on which they occur are thistles (especially the one 



with pale pink blossoms), ragwort, knapweed, wild parsnip, and the 

 common Crepis ; on this last plant it is more frequently met with than 

 on either of the others. 



Many of the Ralicti have been very plentiful, but we have only 

 met with one zonulus, Sm. 



Andrena angustior, Kirb., I took again in the woods in the spring, 

 but it was certainly more scarce than it was last year ; I only met with 

 few specimens, though I searched diligently for it. Of hicoJor, Fab., 

 I took a nice series in the flowers of Malva moschata. A. chrysosceles, 

 Xirb.,w^as abundant on the EupJiorhia amygdaloides. Cilissa ha-mor- 

 rJioidalis, Fab. ; of this local bee I had before this year taken only single 



N 2 



