390 



Say^s Descriptions of 



I 



f 



4. P. mellifica. Wings yellowish ; abdomen fasciate. 



Inbab. Mexico, 



Body blackish, sericeous^ with a slight golden reflec- 

 tion : clypeus not acute, but almost rounded at tip : man- 

 diblcs at tip piceous : thorax with a distinct, longitudinal, 

 impressed line before, extending to the middle: wings 

 yellowish ; dusky at tip : scutel truncate at tip, or rather 

 yery obtusely emarglnate : metathorax almost vertical, 

 with a distinct, prominent, robust angle each side : abdo- 

 men J first segment small and short ; second greatly the 

 largest ; all margined behind with orange yellow : venter 

 with all the margins yellow excepting the basal one. 



(J Basal joint of the antennae beneath yellow : nasuS 

 very sericeous, having a whitish reflection : cox(E and 

 trochanters yellowish-white. 



Length over three tenths of an inch. 



Not being able to find my notes relative to this species, 

 I can only state, that near Jalapa, my attention was at- 

 tracted by a group of Indians, who were eating honey 

 from a paper nest, which was then so far dissected in 

 their repast, that I could not ascertain its proper form. 

 The honey had a pleasant taste, and as far as 1 could 

 gather from their gestures, the nest was obtained from a 

 tree. Some of the specimens abovQ described I found 

 crawling feebly away, and others I extracted from the 

 cells in a perfect state. 



The trophi agree with those of the P. ni^ripennisy 

 Oliv. excepting that the obliquely truncated portion of the 

 mandibles is a little longer, and tbe terminal joint of the 

 labia] palpi is equal in length to the preceding joint. 



I had made the above description and remarks before 

 an opportunity oflTered to compare the individuals with 

 Latreille's descrintinn nf lilc P i^^h .i«« /a' « -rioc 



