30 



Natural 



arrangement compiled by Mr. Westwood, we 

 find the AIMDJB are divided into five sub- 

 families : 



1. PANURGIDJE, consisting of insects nearly 

 allied to the Andrenidae in the labium being 

 shorter than the mentum, and the structure 

 of the labial palpi, which are composed of 

 continuous linear joints, the two basal ones 

 not being so much elongated as in the fol- 

 lowing sub-families. The maxillary palpi 

 are six-jointed ; the upper lip is short ; and 

 the females are destitute of a pollen brush 

 on the under surface of the abdomen. They 

 are, however, furnished with a pollen plate 

 on each side of the metathorax, and another 

 on the posterior femora : the hind legs have 

 also pollen brushes. Nothing is known of 

 their nidification ; but Latreille observes that 

 the perfect insects of the genus Panurgus 

 are attached to semi-flosculous flowers. 



2. DENUDAT.E, or MELECTID.H. The insects 

 composing the second sub-family (as well 

 as those of all the following sub-families of 

 bees) have the labial palpi formed of two 

 very long, flattened, scaly basal joints, and 

 two minute apical ones. The abdomen is 

 not provided with a ventral pollen brush, 

 neither do these insects possess any pollen 

 plates, their bodies being in effect naked, 

 whence they are supposed to be parasites. 

 Some of the species resemble small wasps in 

 their colours, whilst in others some parts of 

 their bodies are clothed with small patches of 

 very short hairs. From their evidently para- 

 sitic habits they have been termed Cuckoo- 

 bees. 



3. LOlfGILABRES, Or MEOACHILID^. The 



third sub-family of the Apidse ; composed 

 of insects distinguished by the large oblong 

 form of the upper lip, and strong mandibles : 

 the maxillary palpi are but slightly de- 

 veloped ; while on the contrary, the labial 

 are very long, with the two last joints ob- 

 liquely inserted. Nearly all the genera are 

 polliniferous, the pollen brush being very 

 large, and covering the under side of the 

 abdomen : they are, however, destitute of 

 pollen plates. " From their respective eco- 

 nomy, they have been termed Mason and 

 Upholsterer bees ; the former building their 

 nests of fine moistened earth, whilst the Up- 

 holsterers employ in the construction of their 

 cells portions of leaves which they have cut 

 from various plants by means of their power- 

 ful jaws, which are employed like a pair of 

 scissors." Some of the species of the genus 

 Osmia construct their nests of minute grains 

 of sand, cemented together with a glutinous 

 secretion, and which are placed by the in- 

 sects on the angle of a wall, the crevices 

 between bricks, &c. The genus MegacMle 

 comprises the Leaf-cutting and some other 

 bees. These form their nests in the trunks 

 of decayed trees, and in old rotten palings. 

 They are lined with pieces of leaves, of a 

 circular form, which the insects have most 

 dexterously clipped oif, and afterwards ad- 

 justed together so admirably, that, although 

 not covered with any coating of gum, &c., 

 they are honey-tight. 



4. ScoruLti'EDES. This sub-family derives 

 its name from the very thick coating of hairs 

 upon the hind legs of the females, which 



constitute the pollen brushes. The wings 

 have commonly three perfect submarginal 

 cells ; the third joint of the antennae is often 

 long and clavate, and the mouth is occa- 

 sionally very considerably developed. Not- 

 withstanding the shortness of the wings, and 

 the robustness of the body, these insects fly 

 with great strength and rapidity, making a 

 loud humming noise. They nidificate in the 

 crevices of old walls or in the ground, pre- 

 ferring banks exposed to the sun. 



" We are indebted to Reaumur ," as this 

 gentleman observes, " for the history of the 

 Carpenter bees, Xylocopa, a genus contain- 

 ing the largest species of the family, all of 

 which are exotic. Their wings are often 

 black, with a fine purple or violet gloss, and 

 some of the species are richly coloured. The 

 females of Xylocopa violacea appear in the 

 spring, and select posts, palings, espaliers, 

 &c. in gardens, in which they construct their 

 burrows, from twelve to fifteen inches in 

 length, and rather more than half an inch 

 in diameter ; the top and bottom of the 

 tunnel is curved, having a passage at each 

 end. When completed, they deposit an egg 

 at the bottom, with a proper supply of pollen 

 paste ; the whole is then covered with a 

 layer of agglutinated sawdust, formed dur- 

 ing the construction of the burrow : the 

 layer thus formed serves not only as the 

 roof of one cell, but as the floor of another 

 which is placed immediately above it. They 

 thus proceed till about a dozen cells are 

 formed. When the larvaa are full grown, 

 they assume the pupa state, head downward, 

 so as to allow the lowermost and oldest to 

 make its way out of the bottom of the burrow 

 as soon as it becomes winged, and which 

 consequently takes place earlier than in 

 those which occupy the upper cells." 



5. SOCIALES. The fifth and last sub-family 

 of the Apidae. " Here, dependent upon 

 their social habits, we find each species com- 

 posed of three kinds of individuals ; viz. 

 males, females, and neuters, or workers. In 

 addition to their gregarious habits, the cir- 

 cumstances of the larvaa being fed from time 

 to time by the worker bees, and the cells 

 being generally of an hexagonal form, they 

 are also distinguished by their peculiar habit 

 of secreting wax for the manufacture of the 

 cells of their nests. In these insects, the 

 outside of the posterior dilated tibiae is 

 smooth, and hollowed in the neuters into a 

 shining plate, for the reception and carrying 

 of pollen, which has been accumulated by 

 means of the pollen brushes upon the basal 

 joint of the tarsi of this pair of legs. The 

 maxillary palpi are minute and exarticulate. 

 These bees have the body covered with thick 

 hairs." 



" The Humble-bees, composing the genus 

 Bombus, are at once known by their large 

 and very hairy bodies : they are the largest 

 species of the Mellifera found in England ; 

 and they are often of a black colour, with 

 bands of yellow or orange. They form 

 societies consisting of about fifty or sixty 

 individuals, occasionally, however, amount- 

 ing to two or three hundred. They construct 

 their dwellings under ground, in meadows, 

 pastures, or hedge-rows, generally employ- 



