THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 307 



bees, as in sonic instances cells of fossorial insects were 

 found at the extremity of tunnels that also contained cells of 

 Prosopis, the fossorial species belonging to the genus Cemo- 

 nns, the species of which are well known to provision their 

 own nests with Apliides. Another stick contained cells of a 

 species of Odynerus. Prosopis had also constructed her 

 cells in the same burrow, transversely, the burrow of the 

 wasp being too wide in diameter to enable the bee to place 

 them conveniently in a longitudinal direction. In another 

 instance Prosopis had availed herself of the ready-formed 

 burrow of an Osmia, constructing her cells towards the mouth 

 of the tunnel. 



The three species whose habits were so closely investigated 

 by Mr. Saunders were all subject to the attacks of a species 

 of Stylops, Hylecthrus Rubi. In this country the only 

 instance of such parasitism with which I am acquainted is 

 one communicated to me by Mr. Walcott, who possesses two 

 specimens, captured, I believe, near Bristol, from which a 

 Stylops had evidently emerged, the abdominal plates being 

 distorted, and the cavities from which the parasite had 

 escaped very evident : among the hundreds that I have 

 examined, captured principally in the neighbourhood of 

 London, no such instance has occurred ; we may therefore 

 conclude that the parasite is very local. 



These bees are frequently to be found in considerable 

 numbers on mignonette, both the wild and garden species 

 proving equally attractive to them. The only other flower 

 on which 1 have seen them habitually is that of the common 

 bramble. 



1, Prosopis communis. Smith, Bees Great Brit. p. 8 ; 

 Schenck, Hym. Nassau, p. 321. 

 Melitta annulata, Kirby, Mon. Ap. Angl. ii. 36 [nee 



Linn.) 

 Hylaeus communis, Nyland. Ap. Boreal. Revis. p. 234. 



Dr. Nylander first pointed out the differences between 

 this insect and the Linnean species. Apis annulata ; the 

 latter is also synonymous with the Hylseus borealis of Ny- 

 lander's ' Apes Boreales Supplementum.' The typical speci- 

 men, described by Linneus, is preserved in the collection of 

 the Linnean Society. This species is exceedingly abundant 

 around London ; I have also found it in Yorkshire, Suffolk, 



