146 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



which falls on an average throughout the whole month of June. 

 The fall was accompanied by an easterly or north-easterly wind, 

 and the reduction in temperature was scarcely less remarkable 

 than the heavy rainfall. 



It is practically certain that the butterflies which were 

 observed on the coasts at the end of May and during the first 

 two or three days of June, would have deposited their eggs as 

 they passed inland, and that the heavy rainfall came just at the 

 most critical time in the insects' existence, namely, when the 

 young larvae were just leaving or had just left the eggs, and 

 when they would be least able to withstand its severity ; the 

 inference being that a very large proportion of them were over- 

 come by the phenomenal rainfall and perished. 



A NEW SUBGENUS OP AFEICAN BEES. 



By T. D. a. Cockebell. 



The leaf-cutting bees, forming the genus Megachile, exist in 

 practically every part of the world where there is vegetation, 

 with the exception of New Zealand. More than seven hundred 

 species have been described, and new ones are added every 

 few months. This enormous group, as might be expected, is far 

 from uniform, and various attemps have been made to divide it 

 up. The segregates Chalicodoma and Gronoceras, distinguished 

 both by their structure and their nest-building habits, seem to me 

 to be very good genera. Others, especially some of the genera 

 proposed by Eobertson, are not so satisfactory, and it is not yet 

 clear how many should be given full generic standing. It seems 

 both justifiable and desirable, however, to distinguish the more 

 striking groups as subgenera, leaving it for the future to decide 

 how many of these deserve the rank of genera. 



Creightonella, n. subg. 



^ . Mandibles with the usual large tooth beneath ; antennas 

 slender, normal ; anterior coxae spineless or with an indistinct 

 rudiment ; anterior tarsi rather thick but normal ; claws deeply bifid ; 

 sixth abdominal segment produced, quadrate, keeled down the middle, 

 with the projecting edge six-spined ; seventh segment with a large 

 thorn-like projection, the sides of which have three sharp edges, two 

 lateral and one (on which are two little tubercles) posterior ; hind 

 margin of fourth ventral segment with a broad shallow emargination, 

 on each side of which is a strong spine, directed posteriorly ; in the 

 interval between these spines, and a little posterior to them, are seen 

 two other spines, slender and clear ferruginous in colour. Type, 

 M. mitimia, n. sp. 



Megachile mitimia, n. sp. 



(J . Length about 15 mm. ; black, rough with very dense minute 

 punctures ; legs entirely black, except that the claw joint is obscurely 



