BEES OF GREAT BRITAIN. 2.'53 



Bombiis subterraneus, Nyland, Ap. Boreal, p. 239. 27. 



Smith, Cat. Hym. Acul p. 102. 9 c? ? . 

 Bombus Harrisellus, JVestw, Nat. Libr, xxxviii. 256. t. 18. f . 1 c? . 



Smithy Zool. ii. 550. 16. 

 Bombus soroensis, St, Farg, Hym, i. 468. 14. 

 Bombus fiavo-nigrescens, Smith, Zool. iv. 1556. 



Female. Length 9-10 lines. — The pubescence black, the collar 

 having on each side a faint trace of yellow, a similar obscure 

 tinge of yellow on the lateral margins of the scutellum ; the 

 a})ical margin of the third segment of the abdomen and the 

 fourth clothed with fuscous or dirty-white pubescence, on the 

 fifth it is black; beneath, the pubescence is black, towards the 

 apex at the sides it is fuscous. B.M. 



Var. (i. The collar, scutellum^ and sides of the basal segment 

 with bright fulvous-yellow pubescence i the apex of the abdo- 

 men white, with a faint yellow tinge. 



Var. y. The lateral margins of the scutellum very faintly tinged 

 with yellow, and the fourth segment of the abdomen obscurely 

 fuscous, with a faint yellow tinge. 



Var. S. Entirely black, except the apex of the abdomen, which 

 is obscurelv fuscous. 



Var. e. Totally black. 



Worker. Length 5-8 Hues. — Differs in no respect from the 

 female, except in size ; in colour it undergoes the same varia- 

 tions. B.M. 



Male. Length 6-8 lines. — The pubescence black ; the collar^ 

 scutellum, and basal segment of the abdomen yellow ; the fourth, 

 fifth and sixth white; the mandibles bearded with ferruginous 

 hairs. B=M, 



The male varies like the other sexes, becoming gradually 

 _ black, the most common form being that which is described. 

 It is very like the male of B. hortorum, from which however it 

 (iiffers in having shorter i)ubescence, and in being a more com- 

 pact insect; the pubescence in B. hortorum is somewhat ragged; 

 they also differ in having the beard on the mandibles of different 

 colours, — in B. hortorum it is black, in B. subterraneus it is fer- 

 ruginous. 



The female greatly resembles that of B. hortorum, but its abdo- 

 tnen is of a different form, not so triangular, more rounded at the 

 sides and convex above ; but that which most easily separates 

 them is the tongue, which in B. subterrarieus is proportionably 

 sliorter. Variety 8. is the B. soroensis of St. Fargeau, as appears 

 u})on an examination of the typical specimen in Mr. Westwood's 

 collection ; it is also the A. soroensis of Kirby ; the female, when 



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