BEES OF GREAT BRITAIN. 21 



at Kingsbridge, Devon ; two specimens were found amongst a 

 collection of British insects taken at and near Bideford in 

 Devonshire ; it is common in many parts of the South of France, 

 but does not apparently occur near Paris, nor is it, I believe, 

 found in Germany. 



Genus 4. HALICTUS, Latr. 



Apis, pt., Linn. Syst. Nat. i. 953 (1766). 

 Hylseus, pt., Fair. St/st. Ent. ii. 302 (1793). 

 Melitta, pt., Kirby, Mon. Ap. Angl. i. 138*** (1802). 

 Prosopis, pt., Fabr. Syst. Piez. p. 293 (1804). 

 Megilla, pt., Fabr. Syst. Piez. p. 328 (1804). 

 Halictus, Latr. Hist. Nat. xiii. 364 (1805). 

 Lasioglossum, Curtis, Brit. Ent. x. 418 (1834). 



Head subtriangular, not wider than the thorax, the stemmata 

 placed in a curve on the vertex ; maxillary palpi six-jointed, the 

 basal joint longest, each joint decreasing in length to the apical 

 one ; the labial palpi four-jointed, the basal joint longest, as long 

 as the two following joints, the three apical joints of about equal 

 length ; the mentum conical, its apex bidentate or emarginate ; 

 the labium lanceolate, acute; the paraglossae about two-thirds 

 of the length of the labium ; the labrum of the females having 

 an appendage on its anterior margin, that of the male simple 

 and transverse. The superior wings having one marginal cell, 

 gradually narrowed towards the apex ; three marginal cells, the 

 first nearly as long as the two following united ; the second 

 subquadrate, rather broader than long, receiving the first re- 

 current nervure towards its apex, sometimes uniting with the 

 second transverse cubital nervure ; the third restricted towards 

 the marginal. Thorax ovate, the posterior tibise having a dense 

 scopa, the interior calcar at the apex of the tibiae serrated. Ab- 

 domen subovate in the females, and having a longitudinal rima 

 on the apical segment. The males have their antennae longer 

 than in the females, sometimes as long as the body ; their face 

 elongate, the clypeus being usually produced, and more or less 

 yellow at its apex ; their abdomen is usually cylindric and elon- 

 gate. 



The economy of this genus of Andrenida does not appear to 

 have been ascertained previous to my own observations being 

 published in the year 1850 : it is so remarkably different to that 



