38 BEES OF GREAT BRITAIN. 



This species very closely resembles H. morio, but it differs 

 both in the colour and sculpture of the metathorax, which 

 has a subenclosed space at its base, more strongly rugose than 

 in H. morio, and is of the same colour as the disk, whereas, in 

 H . morio, it is of a darker green than the other parts ; the male 

 of H. ceratus has the metathorax more coarsely sculptured, and 

 is also a rather smaller species. It is distributed all over the 

 country, but not so numerously as R. morio, colonies of which 

 are of frequent occurrence. 



17. Halictus morio. 

 H. seneus, metathorace caerulescenti ; abdomine nigro. 



Hylaeus morio, Fabr.Ent. Syst. ii. 306. 16(?; SysL Piez. 321. 8. 



Coqueb. Illust. Icon. Ins. p. 25. t. 6. f. 5. 

 Melitta morio, Kirby, Mon. Ap. Angl. ii. 60. 19 $ $ - 

 Halictus morio, St. Farg. Hym. ii. 284. 26. 



Smith, Zool. vi. 2101. 6. 



Nyland. Ap. Boreal, p. 204. 9. 



Female. Length 2-2 lines. Head and thorax brassy-green, 

 finely and closely punctured ; antennae fulvous towards their 

 apex beneath ; thorax shining, the metathorax of a blue-green, 

 longitudinally rugose at the base, not enclosed ; the wings sub- 

 hyaline, splendidly iridescent, the nervures testaceous ; the te- 

 gulse piceous ; the legs have a glittering white pubescence. 

 Abdomen ovate, black and shining, having a short scattered 

 pale pubescence at the sides and towards the apex ; the basal 

 lateral margins of the two intermediate segments have some- 

 times a little short white pubescence, very frequently oblite- 

 rated. B.M. 



Male. Length 2^ lines. Head and thorax coloured as in the 

 female, the clypeus yellow at its apex ; the nagellum fulvous 

 beneath ; the abdomen elongate, black, the margins of the two 

 basal segments depressed ; a little white pubescence on the 

 basal margins of the second and third segments. B.M. 



This is perhaps the most abundant of all the species ; it is to 

 be found frequently at the sides of old walls, and in pathways, 

 even in streets in the suburbs of London ; Nomodafurva fre- 

 quently infests its burrows. Males are found as late as the end 

 of October. 



