io2 THE HUMBLE-BEE 



VIII 



males in 1S37 1 or in 1863, 2 which of these dates is 

 not clear, and his son a queen in 1864, near Deal, 

 but no other captures have been recorded. The 

 species occurs in Central Europe. In the mountains 

 of Switzerland and Austria, a variety having the 

 whole coat yellowish-grey with the exception of a 

 black band across the middle of the thorax is to be 

 found. 



Hoffer took three nests of the red-tailed form on 

 the Geierkogel in Styria. They were all under the 

 ground, and in two of them he noticed what he 

 called " pollen cylinders." In one of the nests with 

 about 300 cells there were twelve of these pollen 

 cylinders. They always stood at the end of a group 

 of cells, but as the nature of these cells is not ex- 

 plained it is not clear whether the species is a pollen- 

 storer or a pocket-maker. The convex hind tibiae 

 of the male and the long cheeks indicate that it 

 is probably a pocket-maker occupying an interme- 

 diate position between the pollen-primers and the 

 carder-bees. 



1 Eut. Annual for 1865, p. 95. 

 - Catalogue of British Bees, 2nd edition, p. 206. 



