BEES OF GREAT BRITAIN. 119 



Apis leucophthalma, Kirby, Mon. Ap. Angl. ii. 197. 16<var. 

 Noraada conjungens, Schdff. Germ. Zeits. i. 279. 8 $ . 



Female. Length 3-5 lines. Head and thorax black, the cly- 

 peus and a spot above it, a line encircling the eyes, the labrum, 

 mandibles and antennae rufous; the scape has sometimes a 

 black line at the sides. Thorax : the collar, tubercles, and a 

 large patch on the sides beneath the wings, an epaulet over the 

 tegula3, the scutellum, two minute spots beneath uniting with 

 a larger patch on each side of the metathorax, two broad stripes 

 on the disk, the tegulae and legs, rufous ; the femora more or 

 less black at the base beneath ; the coxae and trochanters also 

 sometimes stained ; the wings fusco-hyaline and having a dark 

 narrow fuscous cloud at their apical margins. Abdomen rufous, 

 the base and the apical margins more or less black, the 

 second segment having on each side a large angular yellow 

 macula, the two following a broad fascia, and the fifth a large 

 quadrate spot, yellow r ; sometimes obscurely variegated with 

 yellow -testaceous bands or spots beneath. B.M. 



Male. Length 3-4^ lines. The scape in front, the clypeus, 

 the face on each side, the labrum and mandibles, yellow ; the 

 latter ferruginous at their tips ; the flagellum ferruginous, four 

 or five of the basal joints above, as well as the scape above, 

 black. Thorax black ; the tubercles, two spots on the scutel- 

 lum, and the legs rufous ; the coxse, except at the apex, black ; 

 the trochanters behind, the anterior and intermediate femora 

 beneath at the base, and the posterior pair, except a line above, 

 black ; sometimes a black line on the tibiae behind. Abdomen 

 rufous, the base black, the second and following segments 

 having a broad yellow band ; the apical margins of the segments 

 rufo-piceous ; beneath, the second and following segments 

 have a transverse broad yellow macula ; sometimes entirely ru- 

 fous beneath, or varied with indistinct fuscous bands and yellow 

 spots ; the yellow bands on the abdomen above are frequently 

 much attenuated in the middle, one or two of the apical ones 

 being sometimes interrupted. B.M. 



It were vain to attempt to describe all the shades of variety 

 in the markings of this species, particularly those of the males ; 

 but the most prominent are pointed out, and the extremes most 

 commonly met with ; some of the very small examples of the 

 males have the scape and two or three joints of the flagellum 

 nearly black ; the brightness of the rufous colouring also varies 

 considerably, from a deep brick-red to a light red ; the dark-co- 

 loured examples have the wings also of deeper hue ; the spots 

 on the metathorax of the female are sometimes obliterated, or 



