BEKS OF GREAT BRITAIN. 27 



Melitta quadricincta, Kirby^ Mon, Ap, Angl, ii. 303. 3. 

 Halictus quadricinctus, Smithy ZooL vi. 2040. 1. 



Nyland, Ap. Boreal, 198. 1. 

 Halictus sexciuctus, St, Farg, Hym. ii. 268. 4, 



Female, Length 41 lines. — Black ; the face thinly clothed with 

 pale yellow pubescence, the labrum has a beard of the same 

 colour^ the flagellum piceous beneath ; the thorax thickly punc- 

 tured, a thinly scattered ochraceous pubescence on the disk ; 

 the sides, the metathorax and beneath more thickly clothed 

 with pubescence of a lighter colour ; the tegular piceous ; the 

 wings subhyaline, the nervurcs testaceous ; the legs nigro- 

 piceous, their pubescence pale ochraceous, the tarsi pale ferru- 

 ginous. Abdomen fuscous, convex, ovate and shining, finelv 

 ^ and closely punctured ; the apical margins of all the segments 



have a narrow wdiite fascia, the first usually interrupted ; at the 

 apex a little pale ochraceous pubescence, the anal rima slightly 

 ferruf2;inous. B.M. 



^ Male. Length 4 lines. — The face clothed with white pubes- 

 cence, the apex of the clypeus yellow\ The mandibles very 

 much dilated at their base ; the antennse fulvous, as long as 

 the head and thorax, slightly fuscous toward their base above, 

 the apical joints pellucid; the tegulsc testaceous; the wings 

 hyaline ; the posterior femora, except at their apex, the inter- 

 mediate and anterior pairs behind, nigro-piceous ; otherwise 

 pale fulvo-testaceous. Abdomen elongate, shining and closely 

 punctured ; all the apical margins of the segments have narrow 

 white marginal fascia3, the two first sometimes interrupted ; the 

 i; two apical segments concave beneath. B.M. 



It admits of considerable doubt w'hether this insect is synony- 

 mous with that of Fabricius, who makes no mention of the yellow 

 nasus, or dilated mandibles ; in fact, his description would suit 

 three or four European species. Specimens have been received 

 from the continent, under the names of sexcinctus of St. Fargeau, 

 and nidulans of Walckenaer. Mr. Kirbj^, on the authority of 

 Dr. Latham, quotes this bee as a species of the London district, 

 but as no one has met with it since, there is probably some 

 mistake. Mr. Dale took the female in the Isle of Portland some 

 years ago, with the exception of which, not a single specimen of 

 either sex has been taken for many years. In Mr. Kirby's 

 interleaved copy of the ' Monographia' is a note, " Mas : lectus 

 a me in floribus Agerati apud Blakenham Parvum." (September 

 7th.) 



This species occurs in North America ; there are two examples 

 of the male in the British Museum, which appear to be identical 



c2 



