26 1* L A T E CCCCIIl. 



cabinet among his Englifli apes ; but Dr. Latham did not recollect 

 where it was taken, or upon what authority he coniiders it as Bri- 

 tifh. Notwithstanding this, Mr. Kirby has inferted the fpecies 

 in his " Monographia Apum Anglia", and, in compliance with 

 this authority, we have ventured to introduce it into the prefent 

 Work ; conceiving, that after this explicit avowal of our only motive 

 for enumerating it among the Rritifh Infe6ls, we fhall not be deemed 

 entirely refponfible for the accuracy of our information. Apis 

 iricolor is well-known as a native of the Weft Indies. Mr. 

 Drury's work on Exotic Infects contains the figure of a fpecimen he 

 received from the tiland of Jamaica. It very much refembles the 

 Linnaean apis violacea, but has the body violaceous inftead of black, 

 and the wings blackifli inftead of violet. We mould obferve, that the 

 wings in our fpecimen of Apis Iricolor does not appear to be fo 

 dark or blackifh in colour as in the individual figured and defcribed 

 by Drury ; they are dufky, rather inclining to brown, and flightly 

 glbffed with green : the thorax fine blue, and very glabrous ; abdomen 

 inclining more to greenifh, and the fegments edged at the bafe with 

 fine reddifh purple. 



FIG. II. II. 



APIS BANKSIANA. 



BANKSIAN BEE. 

 SPECIFIC CHARACTER 



AND 



SYNONYMS. 



Deep black, mining, glabrous; claws rufous. 



Apis Ban ksi an a: atra, nitida, glabriufcula ; digitis rufig. Kirby 

 Ap. Angl. T. 2. p. 179. n. 3. 



Very 



