Insects. 2203 



hyaline, iridescent ; the legs have the posterior tibiae pale yellow at 

 their base, the anterior and intermediate pairs are sometimes slightly 

 yellow at their extreme base. Abdomen oblong-ovate, very smooth 

 and shining, and delicately punctured towards the apex. 



Male.— (Length If — 2f lines). Black; punctured as in the female 

 above, but the thorax very coarsely so beneath ; the clypeus and in- 

 ner orbits of the eyes yellow ; the antennae obscurely fulvous beneath. 

 Thorax, in rare instances a yellow spot on the collar laterally, but ge- 

 nerally obsolete ; the anterior tibiae more or less rufous in front ; the 

 intermediate tarsi at their base, and the posterior tibiae and tarsi at 

 their base, pale yellow. 



It must be observed of this species, that the yellow markings are 

 subject to great variety in the females : the spot on the tegulae is 

 sometimes, but rarely, wanting, sometimes wanting on the tubercles, 

 and the spots on the face nearly obliterated ; but all the varieties will 

 be found to agree in the form of the head and in the general sculpture. 

 This species is very generally distributed, and in the month of June 

 may be found frequenting the flowers of Reseda : all the species on 

 being captured emit an agreeable odour, resembling that of lemons. 



Sp. 3. Hyl,eus annularis. 

 Sphex annulata, Panzer. Melitta annularis, Kirby. 



Female. — (Length 2 J — 3 lines). Black ; head orbicular, truncate 

 in front, a yellow or sometimes fulvous macula immediately below the 

 base of the antennae, not touching the eyes ; antennae, the three or four 

 basal joints black, the rest fulvous beneath. Thorax closely punc- 

 tured ; a spot on the tegulae in front and the tubercles pale yellow ; 

 all the tibiae yellow at their base. Abdomen very smooth and shining ; 

 the margins of the segments sometimes slightly piceous. 



Male. — (Length 2 J lines). Black ; a line on the mandibles, the 

 face, and the basal joint of the antennae beneath, white, the rest ful- 

 vous beneath. Thorax closely punctured ; the sides and the meta- 

 thorax have a short white pubescence ; the intermediate and posterior 

 tibiae at their base, and also the basal joint of their tarsi, white ; the 

 anterior tibiae rufous in front. Abdomen as in the female. 



The H. pallidens of Kirby's MSS. is, I think, having carefully ex- 

 amined the original specimen, a variety of the male. Although this 

 species closely resembles the preceding, yet it is a good and quite dis- 

 tinct species : the head viewed in front is nearly round, and the yel- 



