HENRY J. FRANKLIN. 301 



Genitalia. — Outer spatha in general like that of B. kirbyellus (fig. 

 123), but with the hind margin almost straight instead of distinctly in- 

 curved. Inner spatha (fig. 165) with its front margin arcuate outward 

 and its side margins deeply incurved ; its apical portion tapering to a 

 blunt point. Claspers (figs. 150 and 158) long and slender; their 

 branches, as seen dorsally, with broad and somewhat irregularly 

 rounded apices ; the volsellae very long and slender, with their mar- 

 gins mostly even and with their apical projections large, prominent, 

 rounded and with somewhat serrate apical margins; squamse with inner 

 lobe entirely absent, the outer lobe being large and elongate, rounded 

 at the apex and rather suddenly narrowed at the base and with both 

 its inner and outer margins nearly straight. Sagittse but little differ- 

 ent from those of kirbyellus. Uncus very broad, though tapering to a 

 recurved apex of medium width ; with evenly outcurved side margins. 



Dimensions. — Length: queen, 16 mm. to 18 mm. ; worker, 11 mm. 

 to 14 mm. ; male, 14 mm. to 16 mm. Spread of wings : queen, about 

 39 mm. ; worker, 27 mm. to 30 mm. ; male, about 30 mm. Width of 

 abdomen at second segment: queen, about 10 mm. ; worker, 6 mm. 

 to 7 mm. ; male, about 7 mm. 



Redescribed from many queens, seven workers and five 

 males. All these specimens are in the collection of the Mu- 

 seum of Comparative Zoology at Cambridge, most of them 

 having been collected by J. D. Sornborger and A. Stecker. 



Habitat. — The writer has records of this Boreal species as 

 follows: Labrador (Rama, Nain, Ft. Chimo and Ungava 

 Bay) and Greenland (McCormick Bay). Dr. Ashmead re- 

 ported the species from Alaska (Hym. of Alaska, p. 133), 

 but I consider that record questionable as I have found no 

 specimens of what I consider to be true polaris, from that 

 region, in the collection of the United States National Mu- 

 seum. I do not, however, think it impossible, or even im- 

 probable, that the species may be present in Alaska. 



This species appears to be closely related to B. kirbyellus 

 and B. arcticus. From the former, its females may be sepa- 

 rated by their shorter malar space and more flat and even 

 surfaced corbicular areas and its males by their much shorter 

 malar space. The females of arcticus also have a distinctly 

 longer malar space than do the females of this species. The 

 female of strenuus, which species is apparently the closest 

 ally to polaris and resembles it quite strongly in coloration, 

 may be definitely separated from the female of this species 



TRANS. AM. ENT. SOC, XXXVIII. 



