1568 Insects. 



The female of this little bee is very like small specimens of Osmia 

 xanthomelana : the general colour being very similar ; but it has a 

 more rich fulvous pubescence on the thorax, and only scattered 

 hairs on the face, whereas in O. xanthomelana they are dense and 

 black ; neither does it vary in size like its congener, little or no va- 

 riation occurring amongst large numbers which have been captured. 

 The male is easily distinguished by the fringe of hair on the antennae ; 

 the colour of this sex soon fades, its pubescence becoming entirely 

 hoary. Captain Blomer is supposed to have first captured the 

 Species, but it was long regarded as a variety of O. xanthomelana ; 

 subsequently Mr. Thwaites captured both sexes, but it was not satis- 

 factorily proved to be distinct until Mr. Walcott captured it in abun- 

 dance, and transmitted to me specimens of both sexes, and pointed 

 out its distinctive characters. 



This species appears to be very local ; near Bristol it is plentiful : 

 Mr. Walcott has observed that it appears to confine its visits to the 

 flowers of the common bugle. I captured it in April, at Birch Wood, 

 but only a single specimen or two of the female. 



NOMADA ATRATA, Smith. 



Male. — (Length 3 — 3-Jr lines). Black; the antennae have one or 

 two of their apical segments piceous beneath ; the mandibles are fer- 

 ruginous : the face below the antennae clothed with a short, silvery 

 pubescence, as are also the sides of the metathorax. The tegulae pi- 

 ceous. Apical margins of the wings clouded. The anterior femora 

 ferruginous, with a black stain beneath ; the intermediate pair ferru- 

 ginous at their extreme apex; the anterior tibiae ferruginous, with a 

 dark line above, the intermediate in front and the posterior pair at 

 their apex ferruginous ; tarsi ferruginous, the anterior and intermedi- 

 ate pair stained with black above, the first joint of the posterior pair 

 black. Abdomen entirely black, or with the second segment slightly 

 suffused with red ; at the extreme lateral margins of the second and 

 third segments above, and on the margins of all the segments beneath 

 interrupted in the centre, is a short, silvery pubescence. 



This insect, in its colouring, forms a perfect contrast to the usually 

 gay coloured species of the genus ; I do not know the female. The 

 specimens which I possess were captured by my friend Mr. S. Ste- 

 vens, at Arundel, in Sussex, to whom I am in this, as well as in other 

 instances, indebted for species either new, or of extreme rarity. 



Frederick Smith. 



E. NEWMAN, PRINTER, DEVONSHIRE STREET, B18HOP8GATE. 



