VIII BOMEBOS RODERATUS 175 
there are a few yellow hairs on the extreme base of the 
2nd segment. 
Intermediately coloured specimens are black, with the 
tail greyish-brown. 
The beards on the mandibles are rust-coloured, though 
often discoloured with nectar; in hortorum they are black. 
The coat is shorter, somewhat stiffer, and much more even 
than in hortorum: these combined differences are very 
noticeable. 
Face long as in fortorum, but the eyes are slightly 
larger and the cheeks slightly shorter, these being about 
half as long as the eyes. 
Antenne long, as in ortorum; length of flagellum 65 mm. 
Armature like that of hortorum. 
This is a very common humble-bee in England, 
but it is less abundant in Scotland, disappearing 
completely in the north of Scotland; and I know 
of only one specimen from Ireland, a queen taken 
by Mim Freke at’ Borris, Co: Carlow. The nest 
is under the ground, often with a long hole; but 
I have seldom found it, although the species is 
usually plentiful at Ripple. The wax is dark 
reddish brown, and is very soft and sticky; the 
sheets and cells made of it are thick. 
The division between B. ruderatus and hortorum 
is not very deep, and intermediate specimens, 
especially of the male, are sometimes found. But 
in the neighbourhood of Dover I have not yet 
taken an intermediate queen, and in none of the 
nests taken by me have the two species been mixed 
The distinction between the two is maintained in 
Central Europe, but it is not recognised by Pérez 
in the south of France. 
