HOOP-SHAVEE BEE. Z65 



To the next genus belong those curious Bees which are popu- 

 larly called Leaf-cutter Bees, because they line their burrows 

 with pieces of various leaves, those of the rose being the favour- 

 ites. They burrow in various materials, and sometimes the same 

 species makes its tunnels in decaying wood or in sandstone. 

 The species which is shown on Woodcut XXXVI. Fig. 5, 

 Megachile centuncularis, sometimes burrows in decaying wood, 

 sometimes in old walls, and sometimes in the ground. 



In this genus the head is large, and the ocelli are set in a 

 triangle on the crown. The upper wings have one marginal 

 and two submarginal cells, and the females have a very thick 

 pollen-brush on the abdomen. This species, which is very 

 plentiful, is black, with ashen grey down, becoming yellowish 

 on ;he face. The disc of the thorax is nearly naked. The 

 abdomen is heart-shaped in the female, and longer and blunter 

 in the male, and each segment has a very narrow edging of 

 pale yellow down. Beneath, the down is bright golden yellow. 

 It must here be remarked that these colours are only to be 

 found in specinaens recently escaped from the pupal cell, the 

 beautiful hues fading by exposure. 



On Woodcut XXXVII. Fig. 1, is a rather magnified figure 

 of the insect called by Gilbert White the Hoop-shaver Bek, 

 from a habit which will be presently described. In this genus, 

 of which only one species is known to inhabit England, the head 

 is nearly as wide as the thorax, and the ocelli are set in a tri- 

 angular form rather forward on the crown. The upper wings 

 have one marginal and two submarginal cells, and the abdomen 

 is rather curved, and furnished in the female with a thick pollen- 

 brush, and in the male with spikes at the end, as seen in the 

 illustration. The present species has five of these spines. Its 

 colour is exceedingly variable in detail, but is generally black, 

 with yellow on the sides of the face and the clypeus. The ab- 

 domen has a yellow spot on either side of each segment. 



The Bee is a burrower in the decayed wood of willow- 

 trees, but, if possible, slie will take advantage of the deserted 

 burrows of the Groat-moth, which will be described in the fol- 

 lowing pages. In order to prepare a home for its future young, 

 it goes to some down-covered plant, such as the campion, and 

 strips off the woolly covering, running along the stem, and 



