228 



BEES OF GREAT BRITAIN. 



Above are enumerated such varieties as appear absolutely 

 necessary to mention, but it must be borne in mind that inter- 

 mediate ones undoubtedly occur. The male of this species has 

 been long known as the A. CuUnmana of Kirbv ; but the insect 

 was very rarely seen in collections. Mr. Walcott obtained 

 several from the Brighton Downs, and also captured it in the 

 vicinity of Bristol; but it was not until 1853 that I became: 

 aware of the fact that B. Culhimaims is the male of the true 

 B. soroensis of Fabricius : this w^as communicated to me by 

 M. Schiodte of Copenhagen. Tlie bee which in this country had 

 been su])posed to be identical wdth the B. soroensis of Fabricius, 

 IS one of the varieties of B. suhtcrrmieus : the true species is 

 much smaller than anyexamjde of B. subt err aliens. Duriui^the 

 month of August 1854, I metwiWiB, soroensis for the first "time 

 at Southend, and obtained all the sexes in that locality : having 

 diligently collected during the last twenty years, without meet- 

 mg with this species, it is probable that'it is extremely local, 

 and that its communities are small. Dr. Nylander regarded 

 the A. Burrellana of Kirby as the male of B. soroensis; and 

 although it has a very similarly coloured pubescence, it is seen to 

 be very different on comparison ; its jiubescence is much longer, 

 and the different colours are less distinctly separated ; it is also 

 usually smaller, the yellow bands are of a deeper colour, and 

 the insect is altogether less compact in appearance. The male 

 when in fine condition is perhaps the most beautiful of all our 

 Bombi; its short dense pubescence and distinctly contrasted 

 colours at once divide it from the male of B. vratorum. 





15. Bombus lapidarius. 



jB. hirsutus, ater, ano rufo-fulvo. Mas, facie, thorace antice et 

 scutello flavis. 



Apis lapidaria, Linn. Faun. Saec, p. 424. no. 1712; Smt. Nat. L 

 960. 44, and type in Cab. Linn. Sic. $ . 

 Vill.Ent. Eur.'ni. no, 98. 

 Sco}). Ent. Cam. p. 305. no. 813. f. 813. 1. 



Fahr. Syst. Ent. p. 381. 14 ; Ent. Syst. ii. 329. 25 ; Syst. Piez. 

 p. 347. 25: "^ 



Schrank, Lns. Austr. p. 396. no. 799. 



Fourc. Ent. Par. ii. 449. 22. 



Christ. Ilym. p. 126. t. 7. f. 1 $ . 



Don. Eng. Lis. iii. 97. t. 108. f. 1 ? . t. 58. f . 2 ^ . 



Kirby, Man. Ap. AiujL ii. 363 106 c? ? $ . 

 Apicis pertristis, Harris, Expos. Eng. Lis. p. 137. t. 40. f. U^. 

 Apicis opis, Llarris, idem, p. 137. t. 40. f. 12 5 . 



