vii BOMBUS PRATORUM 165 
5. BOMBUS PRATORUM, Linnzus. 
Early-nesting Humble-bee. 
QUEEN.—Small; length 15-17 mm., expanse 28-32 
mm. 
Head and thorax black, with a yellow band across the 
front of the thorax. Abdomen black, with a yellow band on 
the 2nd segment, often interrupted in the middle, and with 
the 5th and 6th segments, sometimes also the 4th, red. 
The black hairs are often tipped with white. 
Dark specimens have the yellow band on the thorax 
more or less interrupted in the middle, and the yellow 
band on the abdomen much interrupted or absent. 
Coat uneven. Compared with ¢errestrzs the difference 
is especially noticeable in the yellow band on the 2nd 
segment of the abdomen, the hairs constituting this band 
being unequal in length and decumbent, while in ¢errestr7s 
they are equal and erect. 
WoRKER.—Length 10-14 mm. 
Coloured like the queen, but the yellow band on the 
abdomen is often absent. 
MALE.—Length I1-13 mm., expanse 23-26 mm. 
Hairs on the face and on the top of the head yellow. 
Thorax black, with a broad yellow band in front and some- 
times a few yellow hairs behind. Abdomen black, with 
the lst and 2nd segments yellow, and the 5th, 6th, and 7th 
segments, sometimes also the 4th, red. The black hairs 
are often tipped with white. 
Dark specimens have the yellow on the Ist and 2nd 
segments of the abdomen obscured or absent, and only the 
6th and 7th segments red. 
Coat long and shaggy. 
Antenne rather short; length of flagellum, 5 mm. 
Armature like that of B. jonellus and lapponicus. 
LB. pratorunt is a very common species in England 
and Scotland, but there is no record of it from Ire- 
