Wasps and Bees. 33 g 
was in an old fly-catcher's nest, composed of ptarmigan feathers, hairs of mountain 
sheep, etc., and was found in a crevice in bare rock at a creek near the camp. 
Large empty fly cocoons were found in the bird's nest and in some of the bee 
cells. Another but inhabited nest was found on the southwest coast of Victoria 
island by Dr. Anderson in July, 1911; this was in an old lemming burrow at the 
base of a rock, and was of the size of a child's fist. 
Many of the specimens of Bombus taken carried parasitic mites {Parasitus 
homborum Andemans) in their coat. 
From F. Johansen's Field Notes. 
Observations on bumble-bees at the Arctic Coast of North America from 
Point Barrow in the west to Coronation gulf in the east, and adjoining islands: — 
"The first bumble-bees were seen at the beginning or middle of June while 
the snow was yet covering the ground to a large extent. The summer comes 
a little earlier west of Mackenzie river than east of it; except when there is an 
especially early season in the eastern region. The temperature during June is 
generally above the freezing point, and even if the nights are colder, it is fairly 
warm during the middle of the day, especially when the sun is out. 
"The first bumble-bees seen in the season were mostly flying high up at 
rapid speed. A few days later the bees were seen feeding on the first flowers 
out (the male catkins of Salix pulchra, S. angloriwi, and the flowers of Saxifraga 
op'positi folia). From the middle of June additional flowers were out {Salix 
ovalifolia, Oxytropis nigrescens and 0. arctohia, Pedicularis lanata, and during 
the end of June still more (Salix reticulata, Dnjas integrijolia, Cassiope tetragona, 
Pedicularis arctica, P. sudetica, etc.), all of importance to the bumble-bees, and 
greatly utilized Ijy them. From July on, there was no lack of flowers; in addition 
to the above mentioned were Silene acaule, Lupinus 7iootkatensis, Hedysarum 
mackenzii, Astragalus alpinus, A.frigidus, Saxifraga groenlandica, S. tricuspidata, 
S. Cernua, Aconitum delphiniifolium, Pedicularis capitata, Polemonium coeruleum, 
Castilleja pallida, Myosotis silvatica, Lagotis glauca and Lychnis apetala. Few 
plants upon which the bees depend for food begin their flowering so late as 
August; among these are Epilobium lati folium, Campanula, uni flora, and various 
Compositcv. Few bumble-bees were seen in September, and none after the first 
week of this month. Although the temperature in September may be about 
the same as in June the flowers which are out now are mostly of a kind (Grasses, 
Compositce) of little use to the liees, which seem to understand that the winter 
is near. 
"In the preceding notes the many smaller islands skirting the Arctic coast 
examined are treated as a part of the latter; a few miles of open sea are no 
barrier for bumble-bees; they are found on all of the islets and show the same 
characteristics there. The few observations we have from the two large islands 
(Banks and Victoria islands) farther north show, however, that over there the 
season is considerably later, and bumble-bees were therefore not seen much before 
July. On the other hand, it seems the season along the south side of Coronation 
gulf and in Bathurst inlet is somewhat earlier than along the Arctic coast farther 
west, and bumble-bees and flowers may be looked for at the end of May in this 
more southern latitude. 
The first bees to appear are naturally all queens; the first workers were 
noticed in the beginning of July (about July 10) and the first males at the same 
time." 
Two sheets of drawings, showing the 8th ventral segment in males of 
Bombus neoboreus, kirbyellus, polaris and arcticus, accompany this paper. 
