492 



BOMBYLID.E 



Wings (figs. 290, 291) outspread when at rest, hyaline, or with a brown foremargin, 

 or with lirown spots ; radial vein gently curved up to the costa but not looped ; 

 culjital vein with a wide open fork which has its upper branch ending before the wing- 

 tip and much nearer to the radial vein than to its lower bi'anch ; submarginal cells 

 two only ; iwsterior cells four, the first one closed through the upper veinlet 

 from the discal cell running into the lower liranch of the cubital fork at some con- 

 siderable distance from the wingniargin ; discal cross-vein jJaced near or just before 

 the middle of the discal cell and consequently the upi:)er basal cell distinctly longer 

 than the second one ; upper branch of the postical fork forming for a long distance 

 the lower margin of the discal cell ; anal cell contracted towards the wingmargin 

 but distinctly oi^en. 



The inetamorpliuses of a few species are partially known, but the earlier 

 stages are not well understood even though the eggs have been seen to be 

 laid near the burrows of bees ; in a later stage the larvse prey upon the 

 larvae and (probably) pupae of small bees (Andrena, GoUetes, Holv/his, etc.). 

 An account is quoted on page 475 of the changes in structure of a larva of 

 this family (though not of this genus), and some interesting details are 

 quoted on page 502 concerning the breeding habits of Bomhjlius cancscens. 



Bomhyliits is a very large genus even after shedding off Dischisius, 

 Systoechus, etc., and nearly a hundred Palaearctic species have been recorded. 

 It contains many of the most beautiful and attractive species of the 

 whole order, and the power of " hovering " possessed by the males is of the 

 most perfect nature ; when poised apparently motionless in mid air they 

 can defy the best efforts at capture, and they return fearlessly again and 

 again to the same spot. The females hover in front of the blossoms of 

 low growing plants, such as Prunella and Erica, and probe the flowers with 

 their long proboscis. Two of our most beautiful British species are not 

 uncommon in the southern half of England in the earliest bright days of 

 March and April and may be found hovering and darting about the flowers 

 in most country gardens, but the clear winged smaller species occur later 

 in the hottest days of summer. About twenty-five species have been 

 recorded from North America and a similar number from South and 

 "West Africa, but only a few from South Asia and Australia. 



Table of Species. 

 1 (2) Wings with numerous brown dots (fig. 291). 



1 discolor. 



Fio. 291. — BomhyliU'S discolor J. x 6. 



2 (1) Wings not dotted. 



3 (4) Wings with a sharply defined dark brown foremargin (fig. 290). 



2 major. 



4 (3) Wings at most with only a slight and indistinctly defined light 



brown foremargin. 



