AUSTRALIAN BEES OF THE GENUS EURYGLOSSA. 213 



"they were all head downwards from 4 p.m until darkness. 

 These groups I stayed to watch, and in every case they reversed 

 their position to head upwards at dark. In fact, they hardly 

 waited for it to get quite dark." This habit he has often 

 previously noticed. 



I recently turned down some icarus on large plants of 

 flowering grasses, upon which they rested each evening in the 

 usual way, head downwards, and remained so until darkness set 

 in, when they turned round and rested head upwards, which 

 position they retained for the night. No doubt other species of 

 " blues " act in a similar way. 



It is considered that these butterflies rest for the night head 

 downwards so as to defeat the attacks of birds which would be 

 unlikely to inflict an injury on the vulnerable thorax, and would 

 only grasp the wings if they attempted to seize a resting butter- 

 fly, and when darkness has compelled the birds to sleep, the 

 butterfly can safely resume a normal resting attitude. 



Possibly this may be so, but such is mere conjecture, and it 

 is most unsatisfactory to theorize on natural phenomena. When 

 butterflies have taken up their resting attitudes, it seems 

 somewhat improbable that they are attacked by birds to any 

 appreciable extent, or very seldom. I cannot remember having 

 seen an instance of such, but have occasionally seen birds pursue 

 butterflies on the wing, but directly the latter settled with closed 

 wings the birds were eluded and gave up the chase. 



AUSTKALIAN BEES OF THE GENUS EURYGLOSSA. 

 By T. D. a. Cockerell. 



Eiiryglossa calliopsiformis, Cockerell. 



c? . Differs from description of female as follows : clypeus all 

 yellow except a minute spot on each side ; supraclypeal mark large, 

 broadly triangular, with a spear-head shaped prolongation from its 

 apex ; lateral face-marks pointed at end ; yellow band on posterior 

 orbits rather narrow, its upper end diverging from the orbit; 

 antennse long, scape yellow in front ; pleura with additional yellow 

 markings ; abdominal bands yellow. 



Hab. Mackay, Queensland, at flowers of Leptospermum, 

 October, 1898 (Turner). British Museum. This male is easily 

 known from that of E. calliopsella by the colour of the scutellum. 



Euryglossa altitiidinis, sp. n. 



<? . Length 4 mm. ; black, with the clypeus (but no supraclypeal 



or lateral marks), labrum, mandibles (except red apices), scape in 



front, and tubercles, all light yellow ; flagellum long, light ferruginous 



beneath ; head broad ; face with long white hair ; front dull ; meso- 



