Insects. 097 



Sp. 9. Megachile versicolor, Smith. 



Female. — Length 5 lines. Black. A patch of bright yellow hairs 

 on each side of the face, close to the eyes, below the base of the an- 

 tennas ; the cheeks thinly clothed with a pale yellow pubescence, as 

 also is the thorax beneath, rather darker above. The anterior coxoe 

 and femora are fringed with long pale hairs ; all the tarsi are fulvous 

 beneath. The abdomen has a few pale hairs at the extreme lateral 

 margins of the segments, on the fifth the fascia is only slightly inter- 

 rupted, beneath, the second, third and fourth segments are densely 

 clothed with bright fulvous hair, the fifth and sixth with black hair. 



This species is very closely allied to centuncularis, the colour of 

 the hairs with which the abdomen is clothed beneath, being the only 

 obvious distinction between them ; whether the teeth on the maxilla? 

 are different or not, I cannot say. The specimen was obligingly sent 

 to me for description by Mr. Thwaites, who captured it near Bristol. 

 There is also a specimen in the collection of Mr. Desvignes ; these I 

 believe are all that have yet been taken. I have no doubt, if the male 

 could be met with, that we should find an abundant distinction be- 

 tween this species and centuncularis, but the females, as I before ob- 

 served, in some instances very closely resemble each other. 



Frederick Smith. 



High St. Newington Butts, 

 August, 1844 



Note on captures of Hymenopterous insects at Weybridje. On the 13th of June I 

 made an entomological excursion to Weybridge, a locality which has produced several 

 exceedingly rare species : in Hymenoptera it is particularly rich. Having observed 

 some portion of the habits of an insect of that class, I think it desirable to record the 

 circumstances. I observed a small insect busily engaged in burrowing with astonish- 

 ing assiduity, in a bare sandy patch on the common. It worked away with ceaseless 

 rapidity for some minutes, throwing the loosened particles from one to two inches from 

 the mouth of its burrow with its hind legs, continually entering and again retreating 

 to perform the same manoeuvre. Having at length excavated to the required depth, 

 it ceased its operations a few moments, when it darted off to a short distance into a 

 bunch of heath ; it soon reappeared, dragging along something which it held firmly in 

 its mandibles. On its reaching within an inch or two of its burrow, I placed my net 

 over it, into which it flew, still retaining its prey, which proved to be a small white spi- 

 der, very common in bushes of heath : the insect itself was Miscophus bicolor, Jurine. 

 A good description of the female will be found in Shuckard's capital book on the 

 Fossores; the male was not known to him, and I am not aware of its having been ta- 

 ken by any one, until last week, when I captured a single specimen, and five females. 

 The male agrees in lengt'i. (3 lines) with the female, and also in sculpture, but it is 

 totally black : the female has sometimes the first two segments of the abdomen, or the 



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