356 INSECTS AT HOME. 



wings have one marginal and three submarginal cells, the first 

 of which is nearly as long as the other two together. The 

 antennae of the males are much longer than those of the females. 

 The ' colour of the present species is black, a very fine dun- 

 coloured brown being upon the face, and a fringe of shining- 

 yellow hairs edging the labrum. The middle of the thorax is 

 covered with tawny red down, becoming paler on the sides and 

 towards the base of the thorax. The abdomen is smooth and 

 shining, with a little tawny down at the base. The females 

 have narrow white bands on all the segments, and the males 

 have a similar band on the first four segments only. The shape 

 of the male abdomen is shown at Fig. e. The head of the male, 

 with its long antennae, is drawn at Fig. d. 



This is a burrowing insect, making a tunnel several inches in 

 depth, and only just large enough to allow of the passage of 

 the Bee. The end of the burrow is slightly enlarged, so as to 

 form a sort of chamber, and in this chamber the Bee places one 

 egg and a quantity of pollen. I have found that the pollen is 

 kneaded together so as to form a hard, paste-like ball, which, 

 by careful digging, can be removed from the burrow without 

 being broken. Nor is this all. From the main shaft, if we 

 may so call it, several short burrows are made, not more than an 

 inch or so in length, and in each of them an egg and a supply 

 of pollen are placed. 



Mr. F. Smith has paid great attention to these insects, and 

 has observed that the female Halicti appear early in April and 

 are hard at work until the end of June, when they gradually 

 disappear. About August the male Bees begin to show them- 

 selves, soon followed by a quantity of females, who immediately 

 begin to form fresh tunnels. The time occupied in passing- 

 through the changes is very short, for in ten or twelve days 

 after the larva is hatched it is ready to pass into the pupal 

 state. It is evident, therefore, that, like the Social Wasps and 

 Bees, the Halicti females hybernate after meeting their mates, 

 so as to begin their nest-making as early as possible in the 

 following year. 



Tliere are more than twenty species of this genus, among 

 which, one, called appropriately Halictus minutissimus, is 

 remarkable for being the smallest British Bee yet known. The 

 male is barely one-eighth of an inch in length. 



