vi THE HUMBLE-BEE 



An article entitled " Bombi in Captivity and 

 Habits of Psitkyrus" that appeared in the Entomo- 

 logist's Monthly Magazine for October 1899, con- 

 tained my original division of the species of Bom bus 

 into pollen-storers and pocket-makers, and gave 

 accounts of the self-parasitism of certain species, and 

 of the parasitism of B. terrestris upon B. hicorum. 



Among matter now published for the first time 

 are particulars of the Sladen wooden cover for 

 artificial nests, and details of my humble-bee house. 

 By the employment of the covers anybody may 

 attract humble-bees to nest in his garden, and by 

 obtaining a little wooden house and furnishing it 

 as directed, one may study at leisure and in comfort 

 all the details of their interesting and intelligent 

 ways. 



The study of humble-bees has hitherto been 

 hampered by the difficulty, encountered even by 

 experienced entomologists, in separating some of 

 the species. It is hoped that the colour-photographs, 

 used in conjunction with the descriptions given, 

 will now remove this difficulty. 



My thanks are due to Messrs. L. S. Crawshaw, 

 J. W. Cunningham, Geo. Ellison, P. E. Freke, 

 A. H. Hamm, W. H. Harwood, Rev. W. F. 

 Johnson, Rev. F. D. Morice, Messrs. E. B. 

 Nevinson, H. L. Orr, and Rupert Stenton for 

 information kindly supplied about the distribution 



