HENRY J. FRANKLIN. 393 



on the Pacific shore, but is not at all common in the inte- 

 rior of California, though ranging inland to the New Mexi- 

 can border. 



Nests. — I have taken a large number of nests of this species 

 and they have been found invariably on the surface of the 

 ground and made, as usual, of dried grass. They never con- 

 tain a large number of bees. The largest nest, which I have 

 found, contained seven queens, three males and thirty-seven 

 workers and was taken September 7th. This nest contained, 

 besides the adult bees, 88 unbroken cells, of which 47 were 

 queen cells ; there were also many well filled honey pots or 

 cells. In another nest, I found one queen, two males and 

 thirty workers, besides 125 unbroken cells and 25 honey 

 pots. This nest was taken July 22d and promised, if not 

 disturbed, to have made an unusually populous colony. The 

 nests of this species are the ones most commonly found by the 

 New England farmer during the haying season. They more 

 than make up in number for what they lack in size. 



The nearest ally of this species is B. californicus, as I have 

 shown in the discussion of that species. Another very 

 closely allied form is B. sonomcB, described in this paper for 

 the first time. 



As I have shown in the discussion oi pennsylvanicus, I can- 

 not agree with Robertson and others that this species is the 

 same as the pennsylvanicus of De Geer. 



Bombus (Boinbus) californicus F. Sm. 



Bombus californicus Smith, Catal. Hymen. Brit. Mus., II, 1854, p. 

 400, n. 57, 9 (not the c?). 

 Cresson, Proc. Ent. Soc. Phila., II, 1863, p. 97, 

 n. 18, 9 (not the 8 and (?). 

 dubius Cresson, Proc. Ent. Soc. Phila., II, 1863, p. 97, n. 19, 

 a ?. 

 " californicus Cresson, Rep. Geogr. and Geol. Explor. and 

 Surv. 100th Merid., 1875, V, p. 728, n. 129, 9 . 

 Apathus? californicus Cresson, Trans. Amer. Ent. Soc, VII, 1879. p. 

 214, {?. (Catal.). 

 " californica Cresson, Trans. Amer. Ent. Soc, VII, 1879, p. 



230. (Catal.). 



TRANS. AM. ENT. SOC, XXXVIII. (50) 



