28 Mr. C. II. T. Townsend on B'lptera 



on apical third to about half its basal width. Arista longer 

 than antenna, thickly plumose. Face brownish yellow, 

 silvery pollinose on sides, black-hairy on region of tubercle, 

 with some white hairs on sides. Front shining greenish 

 black, with yellowish hair except some black at vertex, 

 yellowish pollinose on each side in front, with a black patch 

 next antennte in middle. Thorax dark bluish or greenish, 

 with coppery or violet reflections and more or less of a milky 

 tone over all, this tone sometimes wanting, leaving the dislc 

 shining dark green ; clothed with quite thick, short, yellow, 

 anteriorly-directed pubescence ; a pair of median vitts, more 

 distinct in front, formed by longer finer pubescence directed 

 backward. Pleurse with yellow hairs. Six strong bristles on 

 scutelliim, apical pair rather distant, also a smaller bristle on 

 each side near anterior corners. In some specimens there are 

 four nearly equal bristles on each side beside the weaker one. 

 Scutellum clothed with yellow hair, with some rather incon- 

 spicuous black hairs on posterior half of dorsum. 



30. Volucella rafaelana, sp. n. 



One female, San Rafael, July 1. On flowers of the Cordia 

 sp. 



Length 11 millim. 



Diflers from V. cordice as follows : — Scutellum without 

 yellow, wholly opalescent-cupreous with a faint bluish-milky 

 tinge like that of thorax. Scutellum with black hair on disk, 

 yellow hair confined to the edges. Third abdominal segment 

 laterally pale yellow on anterior margin. Wings nearly 

 hyaline basally instead of yellow, and less fuscous on internal 

 border, with the first and second posterior cells largely 

 hyaline. 



This is at least a good variety of cordice^ if not distinct as 

 a species. 



31. Volucella nautlana, sp. n. 



Six males, San Rafael, June 28 to July 7. All on flowers 

 of the Cordia sp. 



Length 10 to 11 millim. 



Differs from V. cordice as follows : — AntennfB somewhat 

 shorter, third joint proportionately not so much narrowed. 

 Frontal triangle black, shining anteriorly in middle, a little 

 yellow-polliuose on sides, with thick black hair. Thorax 

 with the longer posteriorly-directed hairs black, thickly 

 clothing whole dorsum, seen above the shorter anteriorly- 

 directed thick golden-yellow vestiture. Scutellum not so 

 clear brownish yellow, more of a flesh tinge, wuth a slightly 



