( ciii ) 



Prof. Poulton said it was interesting that a West Australian 

 tree should be so extraordinarily attractive to such large 

 numbers of Victorian insects. He had been indebted, in the 

 working out of the collection, for much kind help to Mr. G. J. 

 Arrow, Mr. C. J. Gahan, Dr. F. A. Dixey, Mr. J. Waterston, 

 and, on account of the large numbers of Hymenoptera and 

 Diptera, especially to Mr. G. Meade-Waldo, Mr. Kowland E. 

 Turner, and Mr. F. W. Edwards. 



Many of the insects having been sent in spirit, it was possible 

 that some changes in colour might have occurred, but the 

 specimens as a whole retained a very fresh and natural appear- 

 ance. The following colour combinations, including between 

 them nearly the whole of the Hymenoptera, were recognised : — 



Combination I. All black (" /. All hi.,'' in list of species). 

 Some of the other combinations are transitional into this, by 

 the extreme darkness of markings or their evanescent character. 

 Thus several members of Combination II would be probably 

 indistinguishable from I at a little distance. All the Evanii- 

 didae have been grouped under I, although some of them bear 

 very dark reddish markings. The black ground-colour of 

 some of the bees is iridescent, with a steely or bronzy lustre. 



Many species belonging to this combination were pre- 

 dominant on Feb. 20, especially Paracolletes nr. vigilans (32 ^, 

 6 ?), an undetermined species of Euryglossa (19 ?), Halictus 

 leai (13 $), Pachyprosopis haetnatosoma (55 ?), and, among the 

 small bees, two species of Pachyprosopis and three of Prosopis. 



Combination II. Reddish, generally combined with black 

 (" II. Reddish," in list). The parts marked with red, vary- 

 ing greatly in different species, are shown in the list by means 

 of contractions. The principal members of this combination 

 were three species of Euryglossa and one of Halictus. 



Combination III. Black, with a characteristic median yellow 

 mark on the posterior dorsal surface, scutellum {mesothoracic) 

 and post- scutellum {metathoracic), of the thorax (" ///. yell, 

 mk.," in list). A yellow mark is also present just in front 

 of and generally somewhat below the attachment of the 

 forewing. It is placed on the sides of the mesonotum in 

 Paracolletes and Euryglossa, on the prothoracic tubercle of 

 the other species of Combination III. The principal yellow 



