﻿The 
  British 
  Species 
  of 
  Andrena 
  and 
  Nomada. 
  251 
  

  

  have 
  generally 
  been 
  single 
  or 
  at 
  most 
  a 
  few 
  near 
  together, 
  

   and 
  entering 
  these 
  or 
  flying 
  round 
  the 
  heath 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity, 
  

   examples 
  of 
  a 
  dark 
  form 
  of 
  ruficornis 
  s.s. 
  seemed 
  as 
  

   numerous 
  as 
  the 
  host, 
  which 
  was 
  by 
  no 
  means 
  abundant. 
  

   No 
  doubt 
  on 
  moors 
  in 
  the 
  north 
  of 
  England, 
  in 
  Wales, 
  and 
  

   in 
  Scotland 
  this 
  Andrena 
  is 
  often 
  very 
  abundant, 
  and 
  speci- 
  

   mens 
  of 
  the 
  Nomada 
  taken 
  with 
  it 
  in 
  the 
  Grampians 
  and 
  

   sent 
  to 
  me 
  for 
  examination 
  were 
  of 
  exactly 
  the 
  same 
  colour 
  

   variety 
  as 
  those 
  found 
  with 
  it 
  in 
  Devonshire. 
  Amongst 
  the 
  

   whole 
  number 
  of 
  specimens 
  that 
  have 
  been 
  examined 
  none 
  

   were 
  stylopised. 
  

  

  Andrena 
  apicala 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  very 
  earliest 
  of 
  spring 
  bees, 
  

   and 
  it 
  gathers 
  its 
  pollen 
  almost 
  entirely 
  from 
  sallow 
  catkins, 
  

   though 
  occasionally 
  it 
  visits 
  Prunus 
  for 
  this 
  purpose. 
  It 
  

   is 
  of 
  extraordinarily 
  wide 
  distribution, 
  but 
  very 
  local, 
  at 
  

   least 
  in 
  the 
  south. 
  I 
  have 
  myself 
  seen 
  specimens 
  from 
  

   Surrey, 
  Sussex, 
  Gloucestershire, 
  Devon 
  and 
  Oxford 
  as 
  well 
  

   as 
  from 
  Scotland. 
  In 
  the 
  west 
  of 
  England 
  the 
  males 
  pay 
  

   little 
  attention 
  to 
  flowers. 
  They 
  may 
  be 
  seen 
  flying 
  round 
  

   the 
  sallows 
  in 
  search 
  of 
  the 
  females, 
  but 
  should 
  there 
  be 
  

   old 
  fences 
  or 
  gates 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  their 
  breeding-place, 
  

   they 
  will 
  generally 
  be 
  found 
  sunning 
  themselves 
  on 
  these, 
  

   or 
  will 
  even 
  settle 
  on 
  rocks. 
  Occasionally 
  a 
  fresh 
  female 
  

   alights 
  in 
  a 
  similar 
  situation, 
  evidently 
  with 
  the 
  intention 
  

   of 
  pairing, 
  and 
  quickly 
  attracts 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  the 
  males, 
  

   which 
  are 
  coursing 
  along 
  the 
  fence. 
  

  

  Nomada 
  leucophthalma, 
  which 
  has 
  already 
  been 
  mentioned 
  

   as 
  a 
  parasite 
  of 
  A.clarkella 
  (q.v.), 
  attacks 
  this 
  bee, 
  and 
  it 
  

   would 
  be 
  interesting 
  to 
  compare 
  together 
  long 
  series 
  taken 
  

   from 
  each 
  host, 
  each 
  series 
  having 
  been 
  collected 
  in 
  a 
  place 
  

   where 
  only 
  one 
  of 
  these 
  hosts 
  occurs. 
  At 
  Hastings 
  Theo- 
  

   bald 
  found 
  this 
  Andrena 
  to 
  be 
  much 
  infested 
  by 
  Stylops, 
  as 
  

   is 
  the 
  case 
  in 
  Germany, 
  but 
  in 
  the 
  west 
  of 
  England 
  I 
  have 
  

   never 
  come 
  across 
  a 
  stylopised 
  individual. 
  

  

  Alfken 
  describes 
  the 
  (J 
  of 
  the 
  German 
  form 
  of 
  apicata 
  as 
  

   having 
  a 
  small 
  triangular 
  tooth 
  at 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  mandibles, 
  

   and 
  a 
  specimen 
  I 
  have 
  from 
  the 
  Continent 
  agrees 
  with 
  this 
  

   description 
  ; 
  but 
  in 
  all 
  British 
  examples 
  that 
  I 
  have 
  

   examined 
  the 
  tooth 
  cannot 
  possibly 
  be 
  called 
  small, 
  and 
  it 
  

   would 
  appear 
  that 
  the 
  Continental 
  form 
  is 
  racially 
  distinct 
  

   from 
  ours. 
  The 
  tooth 
  varies 
  in 
  shape 
  in 
  our 
  examples, 
  

   and 
  it 
  is 
  quite 
  possible 
  by 
  looking 
  through 
  long 
  series 
  of 
  

   praecox 
  and 
  apicata 
  to 
  find 
  individuals 
  that 
  do 
  not 
  differ 
  

   much 
  in 
  the 
  form 
  of 
  this. 
  

  

  