320 BRITISH BEES. 



initiating conically, the first segment very short, the se- 

 cond the longest, the ventral segments ridged longitu- 

 dinally in the centre. 



The FEMALE, or QUEEN differs in the head not being 

 quite so wide as the thorax, in having the cibarial appa- 

 ratus very much shorter; the mandibles distinctly bi- 

 dentate, the inner edge of the inner tooth stretching 

 obliquely to the acute inner extremity of the broad apex 

 of the organ ; the labial palpi as long as the tongue, 

 with all the joints conterminous, the basal one slightly 

 acuminate, the second linear, the two terminal ones 

 more slender and shorter, the pubescence of the eyes 

 very much longer than in the neuter ; the legs more 

 robust and less pilose ; the posterior tibia convex exter- 

 nally, without the lateral fringes of hair, and their 

 plantse merely oblong, without the external basal auricle. 

 The ABDOMEN is also considerably relatively longer; 

 and has not the central ventral ridge. 



The MALE or DRONE differs from both in being con- 

 siderably more robust and more completely cylindrical, 

 and very much more densely pubescent; the compound 

 eyes contiguous at the summit, occupying the whole of 

 the vertex, and nearly all the lateral portions of the face, 

 extending below to the articulation of the mandibles, 

 their pubescence much shorter but denser than in the 

 other sex ; the ocelli large, and seated at the top of the 

 central portion of the face in a close triangle, a little 

 above the insertion of the antennse, and in front of the 

 conjunction of the compound eyes, the lateral ones of 

 the triangle being closely contiguous to the upper inner 

 edge of those eyes; the antenna are more robust and 

 rather longer ; the cibarial apparatus very short ; the 

 labial palpi about three-fourths the length of the tongue, 



