INSECTS. 



cocoons, they are aided in emerging by their watchful 

 nurses. 



There is a curious note in the " Zoologist" (3627), 

 by Mr. E. Newman, who observed that Humble Bees 

 usually so good-tempered become ill-tempered whilst 

 awaiting the hatching of the neuters. 



The Humble Bees differ greatly in size, even in the 

 same species. The females are the largest, the males 

 next in size, and the workers least, these being some- 

 times less than half the length of the female. There is 

 sometimes great variety in the size of individuals even of 

 the same gender. The colouring also varies greatly, and 

 varies in the same individual at different periods, and the 

 species are sometimes difficult to determine. The legs 

 of the female Humble Bee have the usual pollen -basket, 

 and the hind tarsi have a deep notch at the base, forming 

 a tooth. This is wanting in the male. 



The next genus, Apathus, consists of two sexes only, 

 and is believed to be parasitic on Bombus. Little is as 

 yet known, however, of the connexion subsisting be- 

 tween these insects. They closely resemble each other, 

 but the females are easily to be distinguished by the 

 legs, the tibia of which is concave on the outer side in 

 the Apathus, while in Bombus it is hollowed into a 

 pollen-basket, and the hind tarsus is without the deep- 

 cut and prominent tooth so conspicuous in the Bombus. 

 In Apathus, too, the abdomen is curved quite under at 

 the tip, and great part of the upper side of the abdomen 

 is almost bald and very glossy ; the tongue has no 



It is remarkable that these parasites should so closely 

 resemble the Bees on which they are parasitical, while 

 others, as for instance the Nomada, are so strikingly 



