VIII 



HOW TO DISTINGUISH THE BRITISH 



SPECIES 



PRELIMINARY REMARKS 



The humble-bees may be roughly known from 

 other bees by their stout build and their long, 

 thick clothing of hair. 



The only solitary bees that could be mistaken 

 for them are their nearest allies, belonging to the 

 genus Anthophora, some of which are almost as 

 burly and hairy as humble-bees ; but in that genus 

 the hair is not so long, the cheeks are so short that 

 the mandibles appear to hinge immediately below 

 the eyes, and the third joint of the antennae is 

 funnel-shaped and at least three times as long as 

 the fourth, joint. The female of Anthophora 

 pilipes, one of the commonest of our wild bees in 

 spring, has often been mistaken for a small black 

 humble-bee, but, besides the above differences, the 

 dense clothing of stiff golden hairs all over the 

 outer side of her hind tibiae distinguishes her at 

 once. The male of this species is clothed with 

 yellowish-brown hairs : he may be readily known 



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