COLLETES. 187 



much of the habit of Colletes, particularly in the male of 

 Cilissa tricincta. 



NATIVE SPECIES. 



1. succincta, Linnaeus, <$ ? . 3J-5i lines. 

 succincta, Kirby. 



fodiens, Curtis. 



2. fodiens, Kirby, ? . 3J-4J lines. 

 pallicincta, Kirby, ? . 



3. marginata, Linn., <$ ? . 3-4 lines. 



4. Daviesiana, Kirby, $ ? . 3i~4| lines. (Plate I. 



fig. 1 c? ? 



GENERAL OBSERVATIONS. 



This genus is named from KoXkr^r^, one that plasters, 

 in allusion to the habits of the insects, which will be de- 

 scribed below. The female insects themselves have, at 

 the first glance, very much the appearance of the work- 

 ing honey-bee, but they are considerably smaller, and, 

 upon a very slight inspection, they are found to be ex- 

 ceedingly distinct. The respective males of the species 

 are conspicuously smaller than their females, but their 

 specific characteristics are very much alike, and there is 

 some difficulty in separating and determining the species. 

 One strong peculiarity, marking all of them, is that the 

 segments of the abdomen are banded with decumbent, 

 hoary or whitish down, in both sexes, and the determi- 

 nation of the species lies chiefly in the variations of these 

 bands, and in the almost entire absence or conspicuous 

 presence of minute punctures covering the segments. 

 The females are very active collectors of pollen, and re- 

 turn from their excursions to obtain it, very heavily 

 laden to their nests. I am not sure that all the species 

 are not gregarious, to use this term in an acceptation 



