410 TRANSACTIONS LIVERPOOL BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



M. Wittughbiella, Kirb. — Fairly distributed, as Bowden, 

 B.C. ; near Birkenhead, J.T.Gr. ; Chester, on 

 flowers of sweet pea, E.C.T. and E.N. ; Dela- 

 mere, E.C.T. and B.N. Monodontomerus ceneus ? 

 bred from nest cells at Chester, R.N. 



M. circumcincta, Lep. — Pretty frequent in our district, 

 both on the coast and inland. Taken on sand- 

 hills at Hoylake and Wallasey ; and at South- 

 port, B.C. Inland, it has occurred at Poolton ; 

 Eock Ferry, J.T.GK ; near Birkenhead, H.H.H. ; 

 Chester, where a colony was found behind garden 

 steps within the city, E.N. ; and Belamere, 

 E.C.T. 



M. centuncularis, Linn. — Fairly common and widespread 



both on our coasts and inland. 

 Osmia, Panz. — The bees of this genus are called " Mason 

 Bees " from the marvellous way in which they 

 construct their cells of a cement formed of grains 

 of sand, small stones, &c, agglutinated together 

 by a secretion of the insect. These cells are con- 

 structed in widely different situations by the 

 various species, and with an extraordinary power 

 of adaptability to circumstances. 0. ccerulescens, 

 rufa, bicolor and aurulenta generally adopt any 

 ready-made burrows in sandy banks, old mud walls 

 or dead wood. 0. fulviventris usually selects the 

 latter situation. 0. leucomelana forms a nidus in 

 dead bramble stalks, 0. parietina makes its nest in 

 cavities in stones and rocks, 0. inermis clusters 

 its cocoons under flat stones, while 0. xantho- 

 melana constructs its beautiful little pitcher- 

 shaped cells at the roots of grass. Some species, 

 such as 0. rufa, bicolor and aurulenta, occa- 

 sionally adopt almost any available cavity ; they 



