HYMENOPTERA. 3 



the Azores, in Madeira, Cape de Verd Islands, and in Egypt ; a few have occurred in Northern 

 India, China, and Japan. In Australia and New Zealand they appear to be very rare ; 

 no species has, to my knowledge, been found in South America, but they are found in Mexico, 

 jmd are plentiful in North America. 



All the species appear to construct their nests in tunnels excavated in the ground. 



Family 

 5. OSMIA LABORIOSA, Fig. 6. 



Femina. 0. nigra, pube fulva vestita ; abdominis segmentis rufo-marginatis ; pedibus 

 ferrugineis. 



Black ; head shining and finely punctured ; the scape of the antennae, the anterior 

 margin of the clypeus, and the mandibles, ferruginous; the latter tridentate, the teeth black; 

 the face and the vertex with fulvous pubescence. The thorax has a fulvous pubescence, which 

 is usually more or less abraded above ; the mesothorax closely punctured, more strongly so 

 than the head ; the legs bright ferruginous, with the coxae black ; wings fulvo-hyaline at 

 their base, and fuscous beyond the base of the first submarginal cell ; the tegulae and nervures 

 at the base of the wings ferruginous, becoming nigro-fuscous beyond. Abdomen closely 

 punctured ; the basal segment above, and the apical margins of the second and third segments 

 broadly ferruginous ; all the segments fringed with fulvous pubescence ; beneath, densely 

 clothed with fulvous pubescence. Female, length 4J lines. 



Hob. Taken in May, in the neighbourhood of Yarkand. 



This genus is numerous in species, but it appears only to be found, in any abundance, 

 in temperate climates ; nearly one hundred species are known, about half of these are European ; 

 several are found in North Africa, and they occur plentifully in North America. 



6. MEGACHILE EESCINDUS. 



Femina. M. pallide pubescens, abdomine subcordato, segmentorum marginibus pallide 

 fulvis, subtus fulvo-villosis. 



Black ; the face covered with fulvous pubescence, that on the cheeks paler ; the man- 

 dibles with three ferruginous blunt teeth. Thorax ; the pubescence on the disk short and 

 thin, at the sides it is more dense, long and pale fulvous, that on the legs is very pale and 

 glittering above ; on the basal joint of the tarsi beneath it is bright fulvous ; the claws of 

 the tarsi ferruginous; wings sub-hyaline, the nervures fusco-ferruginous. Abdomen; a 

 little pale fulvous pubescence on the apical margin of the basal segment ; on the following 

 segments it is fulvous, and very dense and bright on the segments beneath. Female, length 

 6 lines. 



Male. Black, with the anterior legs ferruginous ; their coxse armed with an acute black 

 tooth ; a dark stain on the femora and tibiae behind, the tarsi dilated and fringed behind with 

 very pale curled pubescence. The face covered with dense yellowish white pubescence ; 

 on the thorax above it is thinner, shorter and brighter ; wings hyaline, with a faint cloud at 

 their apical margin ; the metathorax has a cinereous pubescence. Abdomen ; the segments 



