36 AXDKExm/i:. 



Male. Length 5-0 lines. — Very closely resembling the female, the 

 pubescence on the face whiter, and the apical joints of flagellum 

 slightly testaceous beneath ; thorax as in the female : abdomen 

 more elongate, and having a thin griseous pubescence, and a little 

 fringe of rufo-fuscous pubescence at the apex. B.M. 



This is one of the early-spring bees, appearing in April, usually 

 about the middle of the month ; it commonly frequents the dandelion 

 (Leontodon taraxacum). The variety of the female "was described as 

 a distinct species some years ago, but is now considered to be only 

 a rare variety. A remarkable hermaphrodite specimen of this 

 species was taken in the Regent's Park, May 1859, the right side of 

 the bee being male and the left female : a figure and description of 

 it was published in ' The Entomologist's Annual. 9 The variety A. 

 consimilis differs greatly from the normal condition of the species: 

 the femora are dark rufo-piceous, the tibiae and tarsi ferruginous 

 with fulvous pubescence, the apical fimbria being also fulvoirs. Not- 

 witl standing these differences I consider it a variety. It was cap- 

 tured near London, at Coomb Wood, twenty years ago ; and had it 

 been a distinct species others must have been taken. I have seen 

 similar examples in various collections. 



13. Andrena vitrea. 

 A. atra, pallide fulvo villosa, abdomine nitido, scopa fulva. 



Andrena vitrea, Smith, Zoul. v. 1737 $; Bees Great Brit. 62; En- 

 tomol. Ann. 1872, p. 105 <S $ . 

 Thorns. Hym. Scand. ii. 83. 

 Andrena pretexta, Smith, Entomol. Ann. 1>72, p. 106, var. ? 



Female. Length Q-G± lines. — Black ; the pubescence on the face 

 fuscous intermixed with fulvous : brightest at the sides of the 

 clypeus and on the cheeks. Thorax closely and strongly punc- 

 tured and thinly clothed above with pale fulvous pubescence, that 

 on the sides and beneath rather paler ; the floccus on the posterior 

 trochanters bright pale fulvous ; the scopa fulvous, that on the 

 basal joint of the tarsi within ferruginous ; wings pale fulvo- 

 hyaline, the nervures pale ferruginous. Abdomen ovate, shining, 

 and with fine shallow punctures, the apical margins of the seg- 

 ments depressed and thinly fringed with pale pubescence ; the 

 apical fimbria dark fuscous, nearly black. B.M. 



Male. Length 4-5 lines. — The general colour of the pubescence on 

 the head and thorax above as in the other sex, that on face being 

 almost black in some examples ; the thorax punctured as in the 

 female; the pubescence on the sides of the thorax and that ou the 

 legs griseous ; that on the posterior plantae within ferruginous ; 

 wings as in the female. Abdomen oblong-ovate, shining, the apex 

 rufo-piceous, and with a thinly scattered griseous pubescence. 



After a careful examination of A. pretexta I believe it to be a 

 variety of vitrea \ the thorax is strongly punctured ; it differs from 



