\ 



BEES OF GREAT BRITAIN. J 



at once by examining the fasciae on the abdomen beneath ; whilst 

 the minute size of C marginata alone will be a sufficient distin- 

 guishing characteristic. 



Genus 2. PROSOPIS, Fabr. 



* 



Apis, pt., Linn, Si/st. Nat, i. 953 (1766). 

 Hylseus,'pt., 7^«^r. EnL Si/sL ii. 302 (1793). 

 Sphex, pt., Panz. Faun, Germ, fasc. 53. 1. 

 Melitta, pt., Kirdij, Mon, Ap, Jngl 134*5 (1802). 

 Prosopis, pt., Fabr. Syst, Piez. p'. 293 (1804). 



Head subtriangular, as wide as the thorax ; the stemmata in 

 a triangle on the vertex; the maxillary palpi six-jointed, the 

 labial palpi four -jointed; the superior wings having one marginal 

 and two submarginal cells, the second submarginal cell slightly 

 restricted towards the marginal, the first recurrent nervure re- 

 ceived at the apex of the first submarginal cell, the second at 

 the apex of the second. 



r 



The bees of which the present genus is composed, being desti- 

 tute of the usual apparatus for collecting pollen, were long re- 

 garded as belonging to the family of parasites. Some years ago 

 two of the species were bred from bramble sticks, the larvae 

 having been exposed and found to be arranged in the same re- 

 gular order as in the acknowledged industrious, or working 

 species: this observation was made by Mr. Thwaites in 1841. 

 Since that time I have repeatedly bred them from a similar nidus. 

 But all doubt of their habits has been removed by the observa- 

 tions of Mr. Sidney Saunders, who has bred an Albanian species 

 in great profusion : they construct their cells in bramble sticks, 

 which they line in the same manner as Colletes with a thin trans- 

 parent membrane, calculated for holding semi-hquid honey, which 

 they store up for their young : the Albanian species were usually 

 much infested by a Stylops, I had a very interesting nest of one 

 of these bees given to me : the bee was observed to have chosen 

 a hollow piece of flint stone, on breaking which a number of the 

 silken cocoons were found, some containing perfect bees when 

 received, Mr. Walcott has in his collection two specimens of 

 this genus of bees, which have apparently been attacked by a 

 species of Stylops; the fact has not been previously observed in 

 this country, but in the ' Transactions of the Entomological 

 Society,' vol. i. new ser. p. 58, will be found an interesting ac- 

 count of a species of Stylops which attacks Prosopis rubicola^ 

 found by Mr, S. Saunders in Albania. 



