^'^^ BEES OF GREAT BRITAIN. 



^he base. The name " cornuta," which Mr. Kirbv gave to thi« 

 species, was not a happy one, since that characterisLTcomi 

 to several of the species. This bee is usually found fromT 

 middle of April to the end of May, but it is not one of the early 

 species ; some years it is not found before the middle of May 



altemata 



JV. atra;_antennis tegulisque ferrugineis; scutelli punctis, ab- 

 domimsque fasciis flavis, tribus anticis interruptis. 



Apis alternata, Kiriy, Mon. Ap. Angl. ii. 185. 5 c? . 

 Apis Marshamella, Kirby, Mon. Ap. Angl. ii. 188. 10 P 

 Nomada Marshamella, Schaff. Germ. Zeits. i. 285. 25 ' 

 Smith, Zool. ii. 590. 3. 



Female. Length 4-5 Hnes.-BIack ; the anterior margin of the 

 clypeus, the labrum, mandibles and antenna?, ferruginous 



on the scutellum, yellow ; the tegute and legs ferruginous ; the 



Z^W ^"^1 ^T"'^ i""'''^'^' ^^''' ^^'^' ^"d the post(Sior femora 

 withm, black ; the wings subhyaline, their apical margins 



clouded the nervures ferruginous. Abdomen: two spots on 



the basal segment, an interrupted fascia on the two following, 



on the fourth an entire fascia, and on the fifth a large quadrate 



spot yellow ; there is usually a minute spot on each side of the 



quadrate one ; beneath, the third and fourth segments have 



usually a yellow fascia and the second sometimes two minute 



dots. g nyj 



Var. 3. The basal segment of the abdomen immaculate, and "the 

 spots on the scutellum reddish-yellow. 



Male. Length 3^-5 lines.— This sex very closely resembles the 

 lemale, but has the scape in front, the anterior margin of the 

 clypeus, the labrum and mandibles, yellow ; the face has also 

 a silvery-white pubescence ; the tubercles and two minute spots 

 on the clypeus, yellow ; the tegulse ferruginous, sometimes 

 dashed with yellow ; the wings and legs as in the other sex ; 

 the fasciae on the abdomen are broader, the three first subinter- 

 rupted ; beneath, the second and three following segments 

 have broad yellow fascia;, the first usually interrupted, the 

 apical segment yellow. B.M. 



Var. /3. The basal segment of the abdomen immaculate. 



Var. y. The spot on the scutellum obsolete {alternata, Kirby). 



r 



' This is one of the most abundant species of the genus ; it is 

 found in all parts of Great Britain, and is not subject to great 



H 



