Insects. 543 



cave in the centre, with a few scattered hairs and fringed at the exte- 

 rior margins. The female Bombi have concave posterior tibia?, with 

 a corbicula for carrying pollen, and have toothed mandibles ; whereas 

 in the Psithyri the tibiae are convex and the mandibles have a single 

 notch. All the male Psithyri have black hairs on the face. 



Sp. 1. Apathus rupestris. 

 Apis rupestris, Fab. Kirby's Mon. 



The female seldom varies, but has been taken almost or totally 

 black. The male is subject to great variation in its colouring ; its va- 

 rieties include the A. albinella, Kirby, A. frutetorum, Panzer, and I 

 think also the Bremus pomorum of the same author. Sometimes 

 merely the tip of the abdomen is red, in other specimens two-thirds 

 will be red ; sometimes it is indistinctly barred with yellowish hairs, 

 as in frutetorum ; and a specimen in Mr. Curtis' s cabinet correctly 

 represents the Bremus pomorum, having a fringe of pale hairs on the 

 collar and scutellum, and a pale band between the black base and 

 red tip of the abdomen. 



Sp. 2. Apathus campestris. 

 A. campestris, Panzer. Kirby's Mon. 



The female seldom varies, but I have seen a specimen taken by Mr. 

 Waterhouse totally black. The male is perhaps the most variable in- 

 sect in the whole family of bees : the varieties include A. Rossiellus, 

 Kirby, A. Leeanus, K, A. Francisanus, K., and A. subterraneus, K. ; 

 the four species as enumerated being each a darker variety, the last 

 totally black, with only a few pale hairs at the tip of the abdomen. 

 Mr. Kirby considered this the male of the subterranea of Linnaeus, 

 but as the authentic specimen is a true Bombus, and the specimens, 

 of which there are two in Mr. Kirby's collection, are undoubtedly Psi- 

 thyri, such cannot be the case. Varieties occur intermediate in co- 

 louring between those above quoted, so as to leave no shade wanting 

 in the gradual approach to black. 



Sp. 3. Apathus Barbutellus. 

 A. Barbutellus, Kirby's Mon. 



Neither of the sexes of this species appears to be subject to vary. 

 Mr. Kirby considers the male synonymous with Panzer's A. saltuum; 

 but his own A. Latreillellus, grey from age, much more closely resem- 

 bles Panzer's figure, or I should have adopted Panzer's name. Still 



