154 APIDJE. 



yellowish pubescence ; on the face, at the sides of the clypeus, 

 a little white pubescence. Thorax — the disk thinly covered with 

 similar pubescence to that on the head ; on the sides, beneath, and 

 on the legs it is paler, white or nearly so ; wings fusco-hyaline, 

 their apical margins and also the marginal cell clouded, vary- 

 ing in depth of colour in fresh or old specimens. Abdomen shining, 

 blue, usually with violet tints, finely and closely punctured ; the 

 apical margins of the segments fringed with white short pubescence, 

 usually broadly interrupted on the first three segments, frequently 

 entirely obliterated on the basal segment ; beneath, densely clothed 

 with black pubescence. B.M. 



Male. Length 3|-4 lines. — Brassy green ; the head and thorax less 

 bright than the abdomen, and both very closely punctured ; the face 

 with long fulvous pubescence, palest on the clypeus. Thorax 

 clothed with fulvous pubescence, which is most dense on the sides ; 

 wings subhy aline, their apical margins clouded and iridescent; the 

 nervures rufo-piceous, paler than in the other sex. Abdomen nar- 

 rowest at the base, more finely and less closely punctured than the 

 thorax ; the margins of the segments fringed with fulvous pubes- 

 cence, on the fourth and fifth margins the pubescence is shorter, 

 paler, and more dense ; the sixth segment with a small notch in 

 the middle of its margin, the seventh incurved and bidentate. B.M. 



This is one of the most abundant and widely distributed species of 

 the genus. Its usual time of appearance is June. Its habit is 

 varied : at one time it selects holes in walls ; but I have most fre- 

 quently bred it from old posts &c. The name adopted is that of the 

 male. It will be seen that Linnaeus described both sexes on the 

 same page ; and the generally recognized rule of adopting the male 

 appellation, in my opinion, should be rigidly adhered to ; but in a 

 few exceptional cases a departure from the general rule will be 

 fully justified. 



3. Osmia fulviventris. 



0. atra, pallido villosa ; abdomine nitido, atro-cserulescente, ventre 

 lana ferruginea tecto ; ano in mare subemarginato et bidentato. 



Osmia fulviventris, Latr. JBncycl. Metli. viii. 578. 



St.-Farg. Hym. ii. 319 tf $ . 



Bridle, Hist. Nat. Canar. ii. pt. 2 ; Entom. 85. 



Lucas, Expl. So. Alger, iii. 192. 



Nyland. Notis. ur Scillsk.pro Faun, et Flo. Fenn. ii. 272. 



Smith, Bees Great Brit. 168. 



Sche?ick, Nass. Bien. 338. 



Gerst. Stett. ent. Zeit. (1869) 351. 



Thorns. Hym. Scand. ii. 238. 

 Apis fulviventris, Panz. Faun. Germ. 56. 18 $ . 

 Apis leaiana, Kirby, Mon. Apum Angl. ii. 263 $ . 

 Anthophora fulviventris, Fair. Syst. Piez. 378. 

 Apis hirta, Smith, Zool. iv. 742. 



Female. Length 4-5 lines.— Head and thorax black ; the head as 



