Messrs. T. D. A. Cockerell and W. Porter on Bees. 411 



much like that of Cilissa, covered with 



branched hairs ; paraglossse almost ^ 

 half the length of the tongue, narrow, 

 inner margin covered with branched 

 hairs ; labial palpi short, the second, 

 third, and fourth joints together not so 

 long as the lirst, about equal to one 

 another ; blade of maxilla much shorter 

 than stipes; maxillary palpi 6-jointed, 

 1 very short, almost rudimentary, 2 

 and 3 equal, 4 somewhat shorter, 5 a 

 little shorter than 4, 6 narrowly cylin- 

 drical and about as long as 4 Protoxcea, gen. nov. (Type 



(2) Apical plate of S abdomen bispinose ; \_Protoxcea gloriosa, Fox.) 

 tongue much longer and narrower, 

 not nearly so broad at base ; para- 

 glossy relatively shorter ; labial palpi 

 with the first joint much longer, more 

 than twice the length of the other 

 three together ; maxillary palpi want- 

 ing ; blade of maxilla larger and 



thicker O.irsci, Klug. (Type O.Jia- 



[yescens^ Klug.) 



0. vaganSy Fox, placed by Friese in the same group as 

 gloriosaj appears from the description to be a true Oxcea. 



Ooccea may well be taken as the type of a distinct subfamily, 

 Oxa^iiiae, as suggested by Ashmead, but it appears to us to be 

 related to the Andrenidse, and by no means to the Xylocopidse. 

 The genus Lestis, Lepel., from Australia, is associated by 

 Mr. Ashmead with Oxcea-, but we have examined an example 

 oi L. homhylans (Fabr.), kindly sent by Mr. Ashmead, and 

 find that it is a true Xylocopid, very remote from Oxcea. 

 The peculiarly formed blade of the maxilla, and especially the 

 characteristic spatulate lamella close to the maxillary palpus, 

 are essentially as in Xylocopa. 



Megacilissa, Smith. 



We have before us an excellent series of M. Yarrowij 

 Cresson, collected by Prof. C. H. T. Townsend at La Cueva, 

 Organ Mts., New Mexico, alt. 5300 feet, Sept. 5, at flowers of 

 Datura meteloides before sunrise. Two specimens were taken 

 Sept. 4, also before sunrise, at flowers of Lippia Wrightii. 

 The early flight of this bee, from 5.15 to 6.15 A.M., as 

 observed by Prof. Townsend, is very interesting. 



Except that the scopa on the hind legs is white instead of 

 dull brown, M. Yarrowi exactly agrees with the description 

 of M. superha, Smith, the type of Megacilissa. It is indeed 

 possible that the two are one species, but at all events they 



