144 HYMEXOPTERA. 



neatli, and the anterior upper surface of the femora is clothed 

 with long loose hair, Avhich equally surrounds the whole of the 

 tibiae." (Shuckard.) The abdomen is banded more or less 

 conspicuously with reddish. 



The larva (Fig. 79) is stout and thick, with a head of moder- 

 ate size, and the mouth-parts are a little shorter than usual, the 

 maxillae and labium especially. The segments of 

 the body are much more • convex (angularh^ so) 

 than usual, giving a tuberculate outline to the 

 body. It is stouter than that of Halictus, the 

 wings are less convex than in that genus ; while the 

 maxillge are much stouter and blunter. The pupa 

 is distinguished from the other genera bj^ much the 

 same characters as the imago, except that there 

 Fig. 79. Q^yQ ly^Q tubercles on the vertex near the ocelli. 

 From a comparison of all its stages, this genus stands inter- 

 mediate between those placed above, and Halictus, which, in 

 all its characters, is a more degraded form. The males often 

 differ widely from the other sex, in their broad heads and widely 

 spreading bidentate mandibles. 



Mr. Emerton has observed the habits of our most common 

 species, Andrena vicina Smith, which builds its nest in grassy 

 fields. The burrow is sunken perpendicularly, with short pas- 

 sages leading to the cells, which are slightly inclined downwards 

 and outwards from the main gallery. The walls of the gallerj^ 

 are rough, but the cells are lined with a mucus-like secretion, 

 which, on hardening, looks like the glazing of earthen-ware. In 

 Fig. 80 Mr. Emei'ton gives us a profile view of natural size of 

 the nest showing the main burrow and the cells leading from it ; 

 the oldest cell, containing the pupa (a) is situated nearest the 

 surface, while those containing larvoe (6) lie between the pupa 

 and the cell (e) containing the pollen mass and egg resting 

 upon it. The most recent cell (/) is the deepest down, and 

 contains a freshly deposited pollen mass. At c is the begin- 

 ning of a cell; g is the level of the ground. The bees were 

 seen at work on the 4th of May, at Salem, Mass., digging their 

 holes, one of which was already six inches deep ; and by the 

 15th, hundreds of holes were observed. On the 28th of May, 

 in unearthing six holes, eight cells were found to contain pol- 



