MELITTA. (**. c.) 105 



albidd ; vertice calvo. Oculorum inteiTallum 

 latissimum. Antenna fusco-nigras. 



Truncus supra pube, densa admodum, fulv^ 

 mollis. SquamulcB nigr^. Al^e subhyalina?, 

 apice nigricantes; nervis testaceis, costali in- 

 teriore nigro. Pef/<?^ fusco-pilosi. Tibice'pos- 

 ticae scop^ supra mgrk, subtus albida, certo 

 situ, versicolori. 



Abdomen subovale, nitidum, fusco-nigrum, 

 segmentis tribus anticis utrinque villoso-palli- 

 dis. Ani Fimbria nigricans. Venter con- 

 vexus, segmentis margine cilia longa, albi- 

 canti. 



Var. 13 thoracis hirsutie flavescenti ; plantis pal- 

 lido-pilosis. 

 y thoracis hirsutie cinerascenti. 



Maris Fades barba longa et densa infra anten- 

 nas tecta. Antenna thorace vix breviores. 

 Abdomen lanceolatum, nitidissimum, albido- 

 pilosulum. Pedes pallido-hirti. 



Far. ,3 dimidio minor, thoracis hirsutie albicanti. 



This insect is often mistaken for the Apis cnni- 

 cularia of Linneus. As such it is described by 

 Miller in an interleaved copy of the Systema Na- 

 turae, which belonged to the late Mr. Gray (so 

 justly celebrated as the Pindar of our age) and con- 

 tains several valuable descriptions and observa- 

 tions of that great genius, who was an excellent 

 naturalist as well as poet. The following are 

 Miller's words. '^ Apis cuniciilaria, MenseAprili 

 H 4 frequens 



