in the British Museum. 



515 



the genus Meliponorytes, Tosi, from Sicilian amber. It is 

 larger than M. succini, Tosi, and the stigma is more rohii-^t 

 (less lanceolate), but the structure of the head, anterior Ifg.s, 

 thorax, and many other features agree. The upper section 

 of the basal nervure is directed downward as in M. succini. 

 One hind tibia is surrounded by a whitish mass, whicli may 

 have been pollen. Tlie abdomen shows no trace of a ventral 

 scopa. The cuttiiig-edge of the mandibles appears to be 

 quite simple. 



This bee can be regarded as directly ancestral to modern 

 2rigo7ia, which abounds to-day in the tropics of both hemi- 

 spheres. 



Polyhia oblita, sp. n. (Vespidse.) (Fig. 5.) 



Thorax a little over 5 mm. broad ; anterior wing, from 

 base to stigma, 14 mm. ; length of basal nervure 8 mm.; 

 length of hind wing about 12 mm. 



Venation ;:s shown in figure. 



Fig. 5. 



Polyhia oblita, sp. n. 



Oligocene of Gurnet Bay, Isle of Wight {a' Court Smith). 

 On a piece of rock, about 5 mm. from a fragment of Typha. 

 Brit. Mus. In. 20530, and the reverse In. 17166. 



The acute basal angle of first submarginal cell and the 

 distinct arching of anal cell of hind wing indicate Polybia 

 rather tiian Polistes. It is much larger than F. anylica, 

 OklL, already described from Gurnet Bay. 



Errata. 



In the fifth paper of this series [Ann. & Mag. N. H. (9) 

 vii. 1921, p. 21:] the smaller figure under Rhodites vetus is 

 from a recent insect, aud shows the morphology of the sub- 

 marginal cell. In some of my earlier papers on the Gurnet 

 Bay fossils I cited the British Museum numbers without the 

 ]. or In., which in every case should be prefixed. 



Ann. & Mag. iV. Hist. Ser. 9. Vol. viii. 35 



