USE OF A KOTCn. 3C7 



The Bee which occupies the centre of Plate XIl. well 

 deserves its names of Eucera longicornis. The former of 

 these two names is Greek, and signifies ' beautiful horns,' 

 while the latter is Latin, and signifies ' long-horned.' Both 

 titles are given to the insect on account of the great length of 

 the antennte of the male, which are as long as the head, 

 thorax, and body together. These antenngg are very remark- 

 able when viewed through the microscope, the joints being 

 covered with honeycomb-like markings, as if a net with six- 

 sided meshes had been drawn over them. The ocelli are set in 

 a slight curve on the crown of the head, and the upper wings 

 have one marginal and two submarginal cells. 



Only one species is known in England. It is black, clothed 

 with a dun-coloui'ed down, changing to very pale yellow on the 

 sides, and ashen grey beneath. 



This is one of the burrowing Bees, preferring a hard, clay 

 soil for that purpose. It needs no lining for the cells, but 

 kneads the clav wall of its cell so hard and smooth that it is 

 able to hold the soft paste of pollen and honey with which it 

 is stored. Some of the habits of this insect have been 

 mentioned when treating of the Firetailed-fly (p. 331). Mr. 

 F. Smith has the following remarks on this Bee : ' It does 

 not spin a cocoon, but passes the winter in the larva state, 

 changing about the end of April to the j^upa, and shortly 

 after arriving at its perfect condition. The pupa throws off a 

 thin, transparent shroud. The male, on emerging from its 

 cell, passes its long antennae through the notch at the base of 

 the first joint of the anterior tarsus, drawing the antennae 

 through, and thus readily divests those organs of the thin 

 pellicle in which they are enveloped. Here we see another 

 beautiful exemplification of the truth that " nothing is made 

 in vain." The long antennae of the males of this genus 

 are doubtless adapted to some peculiar phase in their 

 economy, and the remarkable hexagonal reticulation of the 

 joints also answers some pui'pose connected with a peculiar 

 sense the exact functions of which we are unable to ap- 

 preciate-' 



This is not a rare insect, but in some localities is much 

 more plentiful than in others, forming large colonies, and 

 almost honeycombing the earth with its burrows. 



