Proceedings 19 
or less oval cuttings of leaves, a number of circular pieces 
being placed at the end, and also between the different 
cells, which are placed end to end in the burrows. 
Lucera longicornis is chiefly remarkable for the very 
elongate autennz of the male, which are as long as the 
whole insect. The bee is usually found burrowing in 
clayey soils, where a very smooth-walled chamber is con- 
structed at about six inches under ground, and a store of 
honey and pollen provided. 
The British Mason Bee, Anthophora pilifes, is so called 
because its cells are made so beautifully smooth on the 
inner surface. The female is black, and the male tawny 
with the intermediate pair of legs beautifully fringed. A 
tawny form of the female occurs on the continent. It is 
one of our very early spring species. 
The Humble Bees, belonging to the genus Boméus, are 
fairly well known, some of the species being common 
everywhere. ‘Their life history, in many respects, resem- 
bles that of the Wasp. The food provided, however, is 
different from that provided by any of our British Wasps 
for their progeny. ‘The hibernated female Humble Bee 
appears in the early spring, and is soon engaged in search- 
ing for a suitable place for nest making. The choice 
varies with different species, B. agrorum, the “Moss Card- 
er” Bee, and its allies making a nest of moss or hay on 
the surface, as also does B. sylvarum, The majority, how- 
ever, nest underground. Sometimes an old birds nest is 
chosen. A heap of pollen is collected and eggs laid. These 
hatch soon and the grubs feed on the pollen. When full- 
fed they spin a tough cocoon, and the change to the per- 
fect state is soon undergone. The first batch are always 
workers, who now take on all the work of enlarging the 
nest, collecting and storing pollen and honey, and so on. 
The first workers to be observed are those of Bomdus 
pratorum. ‘These are usually on the wing by the end of 
May. The females and males are the last to appear. 
The species of Psithyrus closely resemble the Bomdz in 
appearance, It has long been known that they lay their 
eggs in the nests of various Humble Bees, each species 
