312 AMERICAN HYMENOPTERA. 



Flagellum of antenna about three times as long as the scape ; third and 

 fourth antennal segments subequal in length, the fifth considerably 

 longer than either. 



Thorax. — Coloration of pile much as in females, the lower portions 

 of the metapleura with yellow pile and the sides of the median segment 

 without any noticeable admixture of dark pile with the yellow. 



Abdometi. — Dorsum colored as in the females. Venter variable, 

 sometimes mostly dark and sometimes mostly clothed with pale yellow 

 hair. 



Genitalia. — Outer spatha much like that of B. vagans (fig. 131), but 

 the posterior margin straight or somewhat incurved and the side mar- 

 gins somewhat broadly rounded. Inner spatha (fig. 133) quite vari- 

 able, the median projection of its anterior margin heavily chitinized 

 and widely and deeply emarginate in the middle ; the posterior mar- 

 gin sometimes straight, as in the figure, and sometimes deeply indented 

 so as to make the apex of the spatha strongly bilobate, the lobes hav- 

 ing rather acute tips ; a small rounded fenestra usually present on each 

 side of the middle line at some distance behind the center. Claspers 

 (figs. 62 and 72) with volsellae noticeably widened somewhat beyond 

 the middle ; each squama with a very prominent shelf-like projection 

 on its lower and inner side, the margin of this projection passing the 

 inner margin of the squama ; the branches very strongly widened at 

 the end as seen from above. Sagittse much as in vagans. 



Wings. — Much like those of the worker. 



Legs. — Coxae, trochanters and femora usually with considerable yel- 

 low pile, but sometimes the coxae and sometimes the femora entirely 

 dark ; fore and middle tibiae sometimes entirely dark but often with 

 some ferruginous hair on their sides ; hind tibiae with outer faces some- 

 what convex and naked, except for a very sparse scattering of hairs ; 

 corbicular fringes mostly dark, but the hind ones often tinged more or 

 less with ferruginous ; posterior metatarsi with rather long hind fringes, 

 these fringes being mostly dark, but usually tinged more or less with 

 ferruginous. 



Dimensions. — Length : queen, 16 mm. to 20 mm. ; worker, 9 mm. 

 to 15 mm. ; male, 11 mm. to 15 mm. Spread of wings : queen, 37 

 mm. to 40 mm. ; worker, 20 mm. to 32 mm. ; male, 22 mm. to 30 mm. 

 Width of abdomen at second segment: queen, 9 mm. to 11 mm.; 

 worker, 4| mm. to 8 mm. ; male, 5 mm. to 7 mm. 



Redescribed from many specimens of each caste. 



Habitat. — This species ranges throughout the entire east- 

 ern United States, except probably such Boreal regions as 

 northern Maine, northern Michigan and the higher altitudes 

 of the mountain ranges. It also ranges through southern 

 Ontario, my most northern record being Ottawa. Bowles 



