2 BEES OF GREAT BRITAIN. 



Fam. 1. Andrenidae. 



ANDRENET.E, Latr. Gen. Crust, et Ins. iv. 147. 

 ANDRENIDJE, Leach, Sam. Comp. 



This family may very conveniently and appropriately be divided 

 into two subfamilies, as proposed by Westwood in his Introduc- 

 tion : namely Obtusilingues, and Acutilingues ; to the former only 

 the two first genera belong, they having the tongue resembling 

 that of a wasp, whilst the remaining gejiera have that organ 

 more or less lanceolate at the apex. 



Subfamily 1. OBTUSILINGUES, Westw. 

 Genus 1. COLLETES, Latr. 



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

 Andrena, pt., Fabr. Ent. Syst. ii. 307 (1793). 

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

 Melitta, pt., Kirby, Mon. Ap. Angl. i. 130*0 (1802). 

 Colletes, Latr. Hist. Nat. Ins. xiii. 359 (1805). 

 Evodia, Panz. Krit. Revis. p. 208 (1806). 



Head subtriangular, as wide as the thorax ; the mentum thrice 

 the length of the labium or tongue, the apex bilobed ; the para- 

 glossae nearly as long as the labium, rounded at their apex; the 

 labial palpi four-jointed, the joints subequal ; the maxillary palpi 

 six-jointed; the stemmata placed in a line on the vertex. The 

 wings with one marginal, arid three complete submarginal cells. 



The economy of the insects which compose the present genus 

 has been frequently quoted from the interesting history given by 

 Reaumur, who found them constructing their burrows in the in- 

 terstices of stone walls, the spaces between the stones no doubt 

 being filled with earth or some soft kind of mortar ; they are 

 found burrowing in light sand-banks. One species, C. Daviesana 

 of Kirby's MSS., is extremely abundant in many sandy districts, 

 particularly in the county of Kent ; where, as I learnt on having 

 an opportunity of examining Mr. Kirby'ti own interleaved copy 

 of ' The Monographia,' he himself had observed it, near Maid- 

 stone. The burrows of these insects are from 8 to 10 inches in 

 length ; they are lined at the further end with a very thin trans- 

 parent membranaceous coating, resembling gold-beater's skin : 

 the insect having stored up a sufficient supply of pollen and 

 honey in a semi-fluid state, closes up the cell with a cap of the 

 same substance as the lining of the tube ; this cap is stretched 



