Insects. 1215 



1 Monographia Apum Angliae.' I shall therefore give the result of 

 my own observations merely as confirmatory of the history referred to. 

 I have observed the economy of three of the species, and I find that 

 all of these are more or less gregarious. The most extensive colonies 

 which I have met with, are those of Colletes Daviesana, a local, but 

 most abundant species : it occurs frequently in Kent, burrowing 

 in banks composed of a hard dry sand, and so numerous are some co- 

 lonies, that these banks are completely riddled with their burrows, 

 which upon examination are found to be about ten or twelve inches 

 in length. At the extremity, the insect lines the tube for about three- 

 quarters of an inch with a very thin transparent membrane, closely re- 

 sembling gold-beater's skin ; this serves to contain the liquid mixture 

 of pollen and honey which she next collects ; having filled the cell, 

 she deposits an egg, and then closes it up, the closed end being con- 

 cave and the further extremity convex. She constructs from four to 

 five or six of these thimble-shaped cells, the convex end of one fitting 

 admirably into the concavity of the other. The eggs are hatched in 

 three or four days, and the larva is full-fed in about eight or nine days 

 afterwards : from this time it remains in a lethargic state until the fol- 

 lowing spring, when it assumes the pupa state about May, and appears 

 a perfect insect about the end of June, or beginning of July. The 

 economy of C. fodiens, and also of C. succincta, is precisely similar ; 

 with that of C. marginata I am not acquainted. Reaumur says that 

 they construct their nests in the earth which fills the vacuities of stone 

 walls, which, although contrary to their usual habit, I think very pro- 

 bable, since I always find them choosing hard, dry sand-banks ; but 

 whether the bee recorded by Grew in his f Rarities,' as forming its nest 

 in the pith of an old elder-branch, belonged to this genus, I think ex- 

 tremely doubtful, although Mr. Kirby conjectures it to have been 

 identical ; but Mr. Kirby states that he had never met with their nidi 

 himself. 



As far as my observation enables me to determine, we have four 

 British species of this genus, the Apis succincta of Linnaeus being the 

 type. A specimen of this species still remains in the Linnean cabinet, 

 and although extremely distinct from its congeners, does not appear 

 to be sufficiently discriminated from the other species of the genus, 

 all bearing a very close resemblance. I shall therefore endeavour to 

 point out such specific differences as will serve to separate them with 

 greater facility. 



Which species may have been that described by Fourcroy, and 

 named by him Apis fodiens, it is impossible to determine, since the 



