40 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [March, 



the summer of 1889, I completed my observations, arriving at 

 the conclusion that Bombus aniericanorum Fab. is distinct from 

 B. pennsylvanicus De Geer, and that Apat/ms? elatns is its male. 

 I give below the synonymy of the two species with my notes 

 upon them: 



Bombos pennsylvanicus. 



Apis pensylvanica DeGeer, M^m. Ill, 575 (1773). 



Bombus pensylvanicus Cress., P. E. S. II, 94, S — 9 5 in part (1863). 

 On Aug. 22, 1888, I took the sexes of this species in copula. 

 The female was hanging by one foot to a leaf of Gerardia pedicu- 

 laria. This female bore two yellow spots on the vertex; the 

 scutellum had a little yellow; the first segment of the abdomen 

 was entirely black. From the specimens at hand I would distin- 

 guish the female from that of B. americanorum as follows : Vertex 

 always more or less yellow; scutellum more or less yellow; first 

 segment of abdomen black, or with a little yellow on the sides; 

 seen from above, the base of the labrum shows a transverse ridge 

 more or less interrupted medially. The worker resembles the 

 female. 



Bombns americanornm. 



Apis americanorum Fab., Syst. Ent. 380, (1775); Ent.Syst. II, 319 (i793)- 



Bombus americanorum Fab., Syst. Piez. 346, (1804); St. Farg. Hym. I, 

 472 (1836). 



Apis elata Fab., Ent. Syst. Suppl. 274, ^ (1798). 



Bombus elatus Fab., Syst. Piez. 352, (^ (1804). 



Apathus elatus Cress., Proc. Ent. Soc. II, 114, ^ (1863). 



Apathus? elatus Cress., Cat. Described Hymenop. N. A. (^ (1887). 



Apis nidulans ¥ab ., Ent. Syst. Suppl. 274, cJ' (1798); see Cress., Proc. 

 Ent. Soc. II, 165. 



Bombus nidulans Fab., Syst. Piez. 349, (J (1804). 



Bombus pensylvanicus Cress., Proc. E. S. II, 94, 9 ? in part (1863). 



In Proc. Ent. Soc. II, 164, Mr. Cresson says: "On the nth 

 of September, 1863, a nest of Bombus pensylvanicus De Geer, 

 was captured near Gloucester, N. J. It contained 6 females, 34 

 workers and 21 specimens of Apathus elatus Fab., all males. 

 No males of B. pensylvanicus were found in the nest." This 

 convinced me that a solution of the problem must be found in 

 the nests o{ B. pennsylvajiicus. Accordingly, on Aug. 20, 1889, 

 I opened a nest of what I had always taken as B. pennsylvanicus. 

 It contained i female and 121 workers, and 2 males of Apathus? 

 elatus. On comparing this female and the workers with the fe- 

 male taken in copula with B. pennsylvanicus % , I came to the 



