158 THE’ HUMBLE-BEE VIII 
2. BOMBUS TERRESTRIS, Linnzus. 
Large Earth Humble-bee. 
Synonym :—virginalis (Kirby), according to Smith. 
QUEEN.— Large; length 20-22 mm., expanse 40-42 
mm. 
Black, with a band of deep yellow across the front of the 
thorax and another on the 2nd segment of the abdomen, and 
with the tail tawny, the zone of this colour usually com- 
mencing on the 4th segment, near its edge. 
Dark specimens have the yellow band on the thorax 
narrow and dusky or absent, and often the yellow band 
on the abdomen brownish. 
WORKER.—Length I1-17 mm. 
Resembles the queen, but the tail is white or tawny-white, 
always, however, shading into tawny at its extreme base. 
MALE.—Length 14-16 mm., expanse 30-33 mm. 
Black, with a yellow band across the front of the thorax, 
a yellow band on the 2nd segment of the abdomen, and the 
tail tawny-white, the zone of this colour usually commen- 
cing on the 4th segment. 
Antenne short; length of flagellum 5 mm. 
Armature almost exactly like that of B. Zucorum. 
I possess a specimen from Ripple, in which the tail is black. 
In England this fine humble-bee is probably more 
abundant than any other species, but in Scotland 
and the north of Ireland it is outnumbered by 
L. lucorum, and I know of no specimens from 
Orkney or Shetland. 
Abroad it has a wide distribution, extending over 
almost the whole of Europe and southwards to the 
north coast of Africa, where it breeds in the winter 
and sleeps in the summer. It has also been accli- 
