Insects. 1 74 1 



cence ; the anal fimbria fulvous ; beneath, the margins of the seg- 

 ments are piceous, and are thinly ciliated with pale fulvous hair. 



Male. — (Length 4 — 6 lines). Black; the head larger than the 

 thorax, sometimes twice as large ; the face clothed with pale fulvous 

 pubescence ; the antennae as long as the head and thorax, the joints 

 subarcuate ; the mandibles long, curved, and subdentate at their base. 

 Thorax has a thin pale fulvous pubescence; the wings as in the 

 female ; all the tarsi ferruginous. Abdomen lanceolate, naked ; the 

 tip ferruginous. 



This fine species was, I believe, first discovered by Mr. Shuckard, on 

 Hampstead Heath, where it is not uncommon in April and May. I 

 have also taken it on Hawley Flat, Hants. Some specimens of the male 

 have enormous large heads, which, with their long curved mandibles, 

 give them a very ferocious aspect. Mr. Desvignes has the finest se- 

 ries of the varieties of this species which I have seen. 



Sp. 25. Andrena varians. 

 Melitta varians, Kirby. 



Female. — (Length 5 — 5j lines). Black ; on the face below the base 

 of the antennae is a little brown-black pubescence, at their base it is 

 black ; the antennae are nigro-piceous beneath. Thorax, above 

 clothed with fulvous pubescence ; the tegulae ferruginous ; the wings 

 subhy aline, the nervures testaceous, the apical margins slightly 

 clouded; the legs have a fuscous pubescence above, but on the 

 femora beneath it is paler ; the tarsi beneath are dark ferruginous ; 

 the floccus white ; the scopa beneath is shining silvery- white, above 

 it is brown-black. Abdomen ovate, the pubescence on the first and base 

 of the second segment is fulvous, on the rest it is thinner and black. 



Male. — (Length 4 — 5 lines). Black ; the head wider than the 

 thorax ; the face below the base of the antennae is clothed with long 

 silvery pubescence, at their base it is ochraceous ; the antennae nearly 

 as long as the head and thorax ; the mandibles are subdentate at their 

 base, ferruginous at their tips. Thorax, above thinly clothed with 

 rufo-fulvous pubescence, at the sides and beneath it is paler ; the 

 tegulae piceous ; the wings iridescent, the nervures testaceous ; the 

 legs have pale fulvous pubescence. Abdomen ovate-lanceolate, at the 

 base is a patch of pale fulvous hair, the apex is fulvous ; beneath, 

 the margins of the segments are ciliated with white hair. 



The insect which I have considered to be the male of this species 

 I think is identical with the subdentata of Kirby. I consider it to be 

 v 2a 



