36 ANDKENID2E. 



Male. Length 5-6 lines. — Very closely resembling the female, the 

 pubescence on the face whiter, and the apical joints of nagellum 

 slightly testaceous beneath ; thorax as in the female ; abdomen 

 more elongate, and having a thin griseous pubescence, and a little 

 fringe of rufo-fuscous pubescence at the apex. B.M. 



This is one of the early-spring bees, appearing in April, usually 

 about the middle of the month ; it commonly frequents the dandelion 

 (Leontodon taraxacum). The variety of the female was described as 

 a distinct species some years ago, but is now considered to be only 

 a rare variety. A remarkable hermaphrodite specimen of this 

 species was taken in the Regent's Park, May 1859, the right side of 

 the bee being male and the left female ; a figure and description of 

 it was published in ' The Entomologist's Annual.' The variety A. 

 consimilis differs greatly from the normal condition of the species : 

 the femora are dark rufo -piceous, the tibiee and tarsi ferruginous 

 with fulvous pubescence, the apical fimbria being also fulvous. Not- 

 withstanding these differences I consider it a variety. It was cap- 

 tured near London, at Coomb Wood, twenty years ago ; and had it 

 been a distinct species others must have been taken. I. have seen 

 similar examples in various collections. 



13. Andrena vitrea. 



A. atra, pallide fulvo villosa, abdomine nitido, scopa fulva. 



Andrena vitrea, Smith, Zool. v. 1737 $ J ^ ees Great Brit. 62 ; En- 

 tomol. Ann, 1872, p. 105 rf $ . 

 Thorns. Hyrn. Scand. ii. 83. 

 Andrena pretexta, Smith, Entomol. Ann. 1872, p. 106, var. ? 



Female. Length Q-Q^ lines. — Black ; the pubescence on the face 

 fuscous intermixed with fulvous ; brightest at the sides of the 

 clypeus and on the cheeks. Thorax closely and strongly punc- 

 tured and thinly clothed above with pale fulvous pubescence, that 

 on the sides and beneath rather paler ; the floccus on the posterior 

 trochanters bright pale fulvous ; the scopa fulvous, that on the 

 basal joint of the tarsi within ferruginous ; wings pale fulvo- 

 hyaline, the nervures pale ferruginous. Abdomen ovate, shining, 

 and with fine shallow punctures, the apical margins of the seg- 

 ments depressed and thinly fringed with pale pubescence; the 

 apical fimbria dark fuscous, nearly black. B.M. 



Male. Length 4-5 lines. — The general colour of the pubescence on 

 the head and thorax above as in the other sex, that on face being 

 almost black in some examples ; the thorax punctured as in the 

 female ; the pubescence on the sides of the thorax and that on the 

 legs griseous; that on the posterior plantse within ferruginous; 

 wings as in the female. Abdomen oblong-ovate, shining, the apex 

 rufo-piceous, and with a thinly scattered griseous pubescence. 



After a careful examination of A. pretexta I believe it to be a 

 variety of vitrea ; the thorax is strongly punctured ; it differs from 



