70 PLATE CCCLXXXV. 



L'abeille noire avec les derniers anneanx du ventre fauves. Et, 

 L'abeille noire a eouronne du corcelet citron, et extremite du ventre 

 fauve. Geoffr. Hijl. Inf. p. 417- n. 21 % 22. 



Tliis bee, according to fome recent obfervations of the Rev. Mr, 

 Kirby,, is to be confidered as the neuter of Apis lapidaria, the fe- 

 male of which was figured in plate 108 of this work, and a variety /3 in 

 plate 8S at fig. 2. 



In fize and appearance it bears the neareft refemblance imaginable 

 to the Fabrician Apis arbuftorum, which laft Mr. Kirby afcertains to 

 be the male of Apis lapidaria, a fact that would not eafily have been 

 fufpe&ed, had not opportunities been afforded of attending to its ha- 

 bits and manners in its native haunts. Reaumur {peaks of thofe 

 bees, with one or two citron coloured bands on the body, being found 

 in the fame nelts with lapidaria. Mr. Kirby has alfo feen it enter 

 the nidus of that fpecies, but what, as he obferves, appears to remove 

 all doubts of their being the fame fpecies, he faw the fuppofed male 

 infeft in the collection of the late Peter Collinfon, with a memo- 

 randum affixed to it fpecifying that he had feen it connected with Apis 

 lapidaria. 



F I G. II. 

 APIS MUSCORUM. 



YELLOW-BODIED MOSS BEE. 



SPECIFIC CHARACTER. 

 Hirfute, fulvous, abdomen yellow. 



Apis Mus.corum: hirfute fulva, abdomine flavo. Linn. Faun. 

 Suec. 1714.— GweZ. Linn. Syft. Nat. p. 2782. w.46. 



Apis 



