APATHUS VESTALIS. 
299 
Found occasionally near London, and in otlier 
parts of England, first appearing pretty early in the 
spring. It is said to fly for the most part near the 
earth. 
APATHUS RUPESTRIS. 
Plate XVIII, Fig. 3. 
Apis rupestris, Fab. Kirby's Monog. Ap. ii. 369 Apis lapi- 
daria, Var. Brunn. Prodram. Insectol. Sieland, PI. 1 9. — Apis 
subterranea, Geoff. Hist. Ins. 2, PI. 416. n. 20. 
The resemblance of this false humble-bee to B. la- 
pidarius is so great, that it is not surprising they have 
been frequently confounded. The present species 
measures fully an inch in length, so that it must he 
regarded as the largest of our indigenous bees. The 
body is entirely black, the three last segments of the 
abdomen clothed with yellowish-red hairs. The 
head and thorax are very hirsute, the abdomen like- 
wise very hirsute on the sides, but more sparingly 
clothed on the back ; shape of the abdomen ovate- 
oblong ; legs black and hairy ; wings ample, longer 
than the body, the colour smoke brown, approaching 
to black, and the substance intermediate between 
corium and membrane. 
Frequent in the vicinity of London, and also in 
many other parts of England, but seemingly not 
generally distributed. We have noticed it in Scot- 
land, but only on one or two occasions. 
