﻿The 
  British 
  Species 
  of 
  Andrena 
  and 
  Nomada. 
  253 
  

  

  A./uscipes 
  is 
  widely 
  distributed 
  and 
  often 
  very 
  abundant 
  

   on 
  the 
  flowers 
  of 
  Calluna, 
  to 
  which 
  it 
  is 
  chiefly 
  attached, 
  

   but 
  we 
  have 
  once 
  taken 
  females 
  loaded 
  with 
  pollen 
  from 
  

   yellow 
  Composites, 
  when 
  the 
  ling 
  blossom 
  was 
  mostly 
  over. 
  

   It 
  will 
  probably 
  be 
  found 
  on 
  most 
  extensive 
  heaths, 
  and 
  is 
  

   common 
  in 
  Norfolk 
  and 
  Suffolk 
  in 
  the 
  east, 
  as 
  also 
  in 
  

   Surrey 
  and 
  Hants 
  ; 
  in 
  Devonshire 
  and 
  in 
  Wales 
  in 
  the 
  west 
  ; 
  

   it 
  is 
  found 
  in 
  Cumberland, 
  and 
  Smith 
  had 
  specimens 
  

   (wrongly 
  named 
  as 
  simillima) 
  from 
  Loch 
  Rannoch, 
  Scot- 
  

   land. 
  Unless 
  a 
  colony 
  is 
  found, 
  and 
  these 
  are 
  sometimes 
  

   large 
  and 
  compact, 
  the 
  males 
  usually 
  appear 
  to 
  be 
  much 
  

   more 
  numerous 
  than 
  the 
  females, 
  flying 
  wildly 
  over 
  the 
  

   ling 
  or 
  heather, 
  or 
  round 
  sunny 
  bushes 
  that 
  happen 
  to 
  be 
  

   growing 
  near 
  by. 
  

  

  Probably 
  in 
  all 
  places 
  where 
  this 
  Andrena 
  is 
  foui\d 
  its 
  

   parasite 
  Nomada, 
  o'ufipes 
  (solidaginis) 
  also 
  occurs, 
  and 
  in 
  

   some 
  Devonshire 
  localities 
  it 
  seems 
  even 
  to 
  surpass 
  its 
  

   host 
  in 
  numbers. 
  In 
  some 
  seasons 
  it 
  appears 
  before 
  any 
  

   of 
  the 
  latter 
  are 
  abroad, 
  though 
  the 
  Andrena 
  in 
  this 
  case 
  

   appears 
  not 
  many 
  days 
  later. 
  I 
  have 
  some 
  suspicion, 
  

   however, 
  that 
  the 
  earlier 
  examples 
  of 
  the 
  Nomada 
  were 
  

   parasites 
  of 
  denticulata. 
  

  

  A. 
  simillima 
  is 
  a 
  local 
  and 
  in 
  general 
  a 
  rare 
  species, 
  and 
  

   seems 
  to 
  be 
  found 
  chiefly 
  on 
  the 
  coast 
  of 
  Kent, 
  Hampshire 
  

   and 
  the 
  Isle 
  of 
  Wight, 
  but 
  it 
  also 
  occurs 
  on 
  the 
  coasts 
  of 
  

   Devon 
  and 
  Cornwall 
  in 
  the 
  west. 
  I 
  have 
  only 
  met 
  with 
  

   it 
  on 
  the 
  flowers 
  of 
  thistles 
  and 
  on 
  Rubus. 
  Smith's 
  speci- 
  

   mens 
  from 
  Scotland 
  were 
  wrongly 
  determined 
  by 
  him, 
  

   being 
  merely 
  fuscipes, 
  as 
  mentioned 
  above. 
  

  

  Closely 
  allied 
  to 
  the 
  preceding, 
  the 
  local 
  and 
  generally 
  

   uncommon 
  species, 
  A. 
  nigriceps, 
  seems 
  to 
  have 
  somewhat 
  

   different 
  habits. 
  It 
  visits 
  various 
  plants, 
  and 
  I 
  have 
  taken 
  

   it 
  on 
  ragwort 
  and 
  other 
  yellow 
  Composites, 
  thistles, 
  

   Knautia, 
  Potentilla, 
  etc. 
  On 
  the 
  Continent 
  it 
  is 
  said 
  to 
  

   be 
  most 
  partial 
  to 
  Jasione, 
  but 
  that 
  flower 
  does 
  not 
  seem 
  

   to 
  be 
  very 
  attractive 
  to 
  species 
  in 
  the 
  west 
  of 
  England. 
  

   In 
  Norfolk, 
  Suffolk, 
  Essex 
  and 
  Hants 
  this 
  bee 
  seems 
  to 
  be 
  

   fairly 
  common 
  locally, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  found 
  in 
  N. 
  and 
  S. 
  Wales 
  ; 
  

   while 
  I 
  have 
  two 
  much- 
  worn 
  females 
  which 
  were, 
  I 
  believe, 
  

   taken 
  in 
  Yorkshire. 
  It 
  is 
  found 
  both 
  near 
  Oxford 
  and 
  

   Cambridge, 
  and 
  in 
  Cheshire 
  and 
  Lancashire, 
  so 
  that 
  its 
  

   distribution 
  is 
  very 
  wide. 
  

  

  A. 
  sericea 
  {albicrus) 
  is 
  common 
  throughout 
  the 
  south 
  of 
  

   England, 
  where 
  conditions 
  of 
  soil 
  are 
  suitable, 
  and 
  also 
  in 
  

  

  