of Fossorial Hymenoptera. 443 



examined, show that in all probability, on the insect being 

 freshly disclosed, the disk of the mesothorax is covered with 

 pale golden pile ; some examples have traces of it. 



Pompilus varietatis. 



Female. Length 4-5^ lines. Black; the thorax and abdomen 

 more or less maculated with minute yellow spots. Head rather 

 wider than the thorax ; the anterior margin of the clypeus 

 widely truncate ; the palpi pale testaceous ; the antennae fulvous 

 beneath. Thorax : the posterior margin of the prothorax 

 arcuate, and frequently bordered with yellow ; the mesothorax, 

 in some examples, with two very narrow longitudinal yellow 

 lines ; a minute spot on each side of the scutellum, the post- 

 scutellum, two longitudinal lines on the metathorax, and its 

 posterior margin yellow ; the extreme apex of the coxse, tro- 

 chanters, femora, and of the anterior tibiae rufo-testaceous ; 

 the calcaria and spines on the tibiffi and tarsi pale rufo-testa- 

 ceous ; tlie anterior half of the fore wings dark fuscous ; the 

 anterior margin of the posterior pair with a slight fuscous tint. 

 Abdomen covered with a fine glossy cinereous pile ; the basal 

 segment with two yellow circular spots ; in some examples the 

 spots are larger and of an irregular shape, and form a large 

 only slightly .interrupted transverse macula ; in other ex- 

 amples there is a minute spot at the extreme lateral basal 

 margins of the second and third segments. 



Hah. St. Paulo ; Ega ; Para (Amazons). 



All the varieties received are described ; but probably others 

 exist. The longitudinal lines on the metathorax are in diiferent 

 examples more or less obsolete, sometimes entirely so. The 

 smaller specimens appear to be the most highly coloured. 



Pompilus vividus. 



Male. Length 5 lines. Black, and covered with silvery 

 pile, which is most dense on the face, coxa;, femora beneath, 

 and also on the three basal segments of the abdomen beneath, 

 the other segments being black. The posterior margin of the 

 prothorax with a white band, which is slightly interrupted in 

 the middle ; the wings hyaline, the anterior pair with a dark 

 fuscous cloud, which extends to the base of the marginal cell ; 

 a narrow fuscous fascia crosses the wing at the apex of the 

 extemo-median cell ; a space at the base of the metathorax 

 black, being without a covering of pile ; a portion of the apical 

 margins of the three basal segments of the abdomen black and 

 without pile, the third margin narrowest ; the anterior til)ite 



