66 HYMENOPTERA. 



season, upon the aculeate Hymenoptera, that could not, I 

 think, fail to impress itself upon every observer of these 

 insects, — and that has been the diminutive size of the greater 

 poi'tion of them. I cannot perhaps better illustrate this, 

 than by mentioning a circumstance that occurred to 

 myself. 



Dining the first week in June I visited Bournemouth, 

 and, on one of my collecting excursions in the neighbour- 

 hood, I observed several bees which I imagined to be the 

 Osmia hicornis; and, in consequence of their apparently dimi- 

 nutive size, I was induced to capture three or four of that 

 very common insect; subsequently, when about to set and 

 prepare them for my collection, I was perfectly astonished on 

 discovei'ing that they were minute specimens of Bombus 

 muscorum, examples of the worker sex. Later in the season, 

 about the middle of August, I found workers of the same 

 bee equally small, at Cromer in Norfolk. The same un- 

 usual diminution of size was observable in the majority of 

 the solitary bees thioughout the season. 



I attribute the development of these small bees to an in- 

 sufficient supply of nourishment; day succeeded day, when 

 the heat was so intense that bees could only venture forth 

 for a short time in the morning; during the hours of mid- 

 day, no bees were to be seen, and those flowers which they 

 usually frequent during the months of July and August, 

 flowered, and ran to seed so rapidly, that the usual supply 

 of food was unattainable. During my experience, I do not 

 remember any season when Hymenoptera generally were so 

 scarce ; and those that were found, were mostly so bleached 

 and faded by the intense heat of the sun, as to render them 

 useless as specimens for the cabinet. 



Before I proceed to enumerate the discoveries and captures 

 of rarities, I must refer to the last paragraph of the paper 



