1863.] 
83 
List of the North American species of BOMBTTS and APATHUS. 
BY E. T. CRESSON. 
The great difficulty that has attended the discrimination of the Eu¬ 
ropean Bombi, on account of the many variations, will doubtless be 
experienced with our own species, until a correct knowledge of them 
is obtained. A mere examination or comparison of the specimens will 
not surmount this difficulty,—their haunts must be examined, and the 
only way in which the species and their varieties can be correctly 
separated, is either by capturing or breeding the individuals from their 
nests. As yet no such information has been obtained of our species, 
and to make a beginning, we must do the best we can in separating 
them by examining and comparing specimens, until we obtain by expe¬ 
rience such knowledge as will enable us to produce a correct division 
of these insects. It is my purpose, therefore, in this paper, to give a 
list of our species with their characters, together with a few notes 
which may be of service to future monographists of this group. 
Gren. BOMBTJS Latr. 
Bombus Latr. Hist. Nat. Ins. xiv, 63. (1802). 
Bremus Jurine, Hym p. 259. (1807). 
The latest, best and most detailed description of the characters of 
this widely distributed genus, is thus given by Mr. Smith, in his Cata¬ 
logue o f the Bees of Great Britain^ (p. 207):— 
Body oblong and densely pubescent. Head subtriangular. Antennoe geni- 
culated, filiform, longer than the head. Ocelli placed in a slight curve in a 
transverse impression on the vertex. Labrum transverse, its anterior margin 
ciliated. Mandibles stout, grooved exteriorly towards their apex, which is 
rounded. Ldpial palpi four-jointed; the first joint elongate, longer than the 
mentum, the.Second joint about one-fourth as long as the first, ciliated at the 
sides; the third and fourth joints minute, placed outside and near the apex of 
the second joint. Paraglossce short, broad, and rounded at their aj:)ex. Labium, 
linear, very pubescent, and about one-third longer than the labial palpi. Max¬ 
illary palpi two-jointed. Superior wings with one marginal and three submar¬ 
ginal cells, the second submarginal cell much narrowed towards the marginal, 
receiving the first recurrent nervure about the middle ; the third submarginal 
narrowed towards the marginal, receiving the second recurrent nervure near 
