Records of Bees, 303 



however, is nearly the same as that of Tachytes and its 

 allies. With a lens, I could not detect any plumosity in the 

 pubescence, which is very short and like that of a wasp ; but 

 the compound microscope shows that all the hairs are 

 minutely plumose, and this settles the reference of the genus 

 to the bees. It is by all means the most wasp-like bee I 

 know, and I think it affords very strong evidence in favour 

 of the origin of the Colletid bees from a wasp of the Tachytes- 

 group. It appears to follow that the bees with pointed 

 tongues have had a quite different origin, as I have formerly 



Lithurgus atratiformis, Ckll. 



? . — A specimen marked 92. 16 and 30i shows that when 

 quite fresh the second to fifth segments of the abdomen 

 have extremely narrow but conspicuous white hair-fringes. 

 Another, with the face narrower than the type, but clearly 

 the same species, is from Queensland {Gilbert Turner), 

 labelled also 304. 



Bombus terrestris (L.). 



New Zealand [E. Saunders) ; one worker, in British 

 Museum. 



Bombus terrestris, var. audax (Harris). 



New Zealand {E. Saunders) ; one female, in British 

 Museum. 



Bombus hortorum, var.fdens (Harris). 



New Zealand {E. Saunders) ; three females and a worker, 

 in British Museum. There is also a female labelled 

 " Queensland [E. Saiinders)." 



Bombus hortorum, var. 



Similar to var, fidens, but prothorax, scutellum, and 

 penultimate abdominal segment more or less distinctly 

 reddish yellow. I have not found a varietal name for this 

 form. 



New Zealand {E. Saunders) ; two females in British 

 Museum. 



Of course, all these Bombi are the progeny of introduced 

 individuals. I have credited these and other specimens 

 to Mr. E. Saunders, following the labels, but I gather that 



