Wasps and Bees. 33 g 



was in an old fly-catcher's nest, composed of ptarmigan feathers, hairs of mountain 

 sheep, etc., and was found in a crevice in bare rock at a creek near ihe camp. 

 Large empty fly cocoons were found in the bird's nest and in some of the bee 

 cells . Another but inhabited nest was found on the southwest coast of Victoria 

 island by Dr. Anderson in July, 1911; this was in an old lemming burrow at the 

 base of a rock, and was of the size of a child's fist. 



Many of the specimens of Bombus taken carried parasitic mites (Parasitus 

 bomborum Andemans) in their coat. 



From F. Johansen's Field Notes. 



Observations on bumble-bees at the Arctic Coast of North America from 

 Point Barrow in the west to Coronation gulf in the east, and adjoining islands: — 



"The first bumble-bees were seen at the beginning or middle of June while 

 the snow was yet covering the ground to a large extent. The summer comes 

 a little earlier west of Mackenzie river than east of it; except when there is an 

 especially early season in the eastern region. The temperature during June is 

 generally above the freezing point, and even if the nights are colder, it is fairly ' 

 warm during the middle of the day, especially when the sun is out. 



"The first bumble-bees seen in the season were mostly fljang high up at 

 rapid speed. A few days later the bees were seen feeding on the first flowers 

 out (the male catkins of Salix pulchra, S. anglorum, and the flowers of Saxifraga 

 oppositifolia) . From the middle of June additional flowers were out {Salix 

 ovalifolia, Oxytropis nigrescens and 0. arctobia, Pedicularis lanata, and during 

 the end of June still more {Salix reticulata, Dryas integrifolia, Cassiope tetragona, 

 Pedicularis arctica, P. sudetica, etc.), all of importance to the bumble-bees, and 

 greatly utilized by them. From July on, there was no lack of flowers; in addition 

 to the above mentioned were Si'lene acaule, Lupinus nootkatensis, Hedysarum 

 mackenzii, Astragalus alpinus, A,, frigidus, Saxifraga groenlandica, S. tricuspidata, 

 S. Cernua, Aconitum delphinii folium, Pedicularis capitata, Polemonium coeruleum, 

 Castilleja pallida, Myosotis silvatica, Lagotis glauca and Lychnis apetala. Few 

 plants upon which the bees depend for food begin their flowering so late as 

 August; among these are Epilobium latifolium, Campanula uniflora, and various 

 Compositce. Few bumble-bees were seen in September, and none after the first 

 week of this month. Although the temperature in September may be about 

 the same as in June the flowers which are out now are mostly of a kind (Grasses, 

 Compositce) of little use to the bees, which seem to understand that the winter 

 is near. 



"In the preceding notes the many smaller islands skirting the Arctic coast 

 examined are treated as a part of the latter; a few miles of open sea are no 

 barrier for bumble-bees; they are found on all of the islets and show the same 

 characteristics there. The few observations we have from the two large islands 

 (Banks and Victoria islands) farther north show, however, that over there* the 

 season is considerably later, and bumble-bees were therefore not seen much before 

 July. On the other hand, it seems the season along the south side of Coronation 

 guK and in Bathurst inlet is somewhat earlier than along the Arctic coast farther 

 west, and bumble-bees and flowers may be looked for at the end of May in this 

 more southern latitude. 



The first bees to appear are naturally 9.II queens; the first workers were 

 noticed in the beginning of July (about July 10) and the first males at the same 

 time." 



' Two sheets of drawings, showing the 8th ventral segment in males of 

 Bombus neoboreus, kirbyellus, polaris and arcticus, accompany this paper. 



63374—3 



