298 
WEST INDIES AND SOUTH AMEEICA 
JAMAICAN ACULEATES. 
Two forms of Honey-bee were met with, Apis mellifica, f. ligustica, 
and A. mellifica, f. mellifica, the latter being somewhat the commoner. 
I do not appear to have come across more than two Carpenter-bees, 
Xylocopa aeneipennis, De Geer, both at the flowers of Bougainvillea 
in the garden of the Constant Spring hotel. Perhaps the commonest 
bee in the island was Exomolopsis rufitarsis , Smith, which was to be 
found at Constant Spring at the flowers of a blue Labiate, and was 
swept up at dusk; it was also obtained near Port Antonio, by 
sweeping. The same method of collecting at both the last-named 
place and Ramble frequently yielded a species of Augochlora , which 
at Port Antonio was in company with a Halictus and a Ceratina. 
The only Wasp found in any numbers was Polistes crinita, Fell., 
which occurred at Spanish Town, Christiana and Port Antonio, but 
was abundant at Constant Spring where its pedunculated nests 
stood in rows in one of the bath-rooms, a somewhat fearsome sight; 
it was also to be seen at the flowers of Eupatovium odoratum, and 
Polygonum (?) acre, Kth. Sweeping at dusk at Constant Spring 
yielded several Odynerus simplicicornis, Sauss.; of 0. grenadensis, 
Ashmd., a female was captured at Port Antonio. At Chancery Hall, 
not a great way from Constant Spring, I took both sexes of the Scoliid 
JDielis plumipes, Drury, on Eupatovium odoratum; the female is a 
large handsome dark-yellow and black insect, the male is smaller, 
more slender and paler. Sweeping at Port Antonio produced a single 
specimen of Plesia {Elis) nitida, Smith, together with an unnamed 
Notogonia . 
The most obvious Ants were Camponotus conspicuus, Smith, and 
Odontomachus (?) haematodes, Linn. The former is of a yellow-red 
colour; its female came to light at Constant Spring, and amputated 
its own wings shortly after capture. A large community was found 
at Mackfield in a dying Banana-tree, which was in a wet pulpy con¬ 
dition, seemingly in consequence of the operations of some internal¬ 
feeding larva. At Walderston a number of the same ants were found 
in a hollow dead stick, as well as under a stone; it was also met with 
at Montpelier station and at Port Antonio. They were extremely 
active and swift in their movements, but their bite was quite trifling; 
on the other hand, they were protected by very hard integuments, 
and exhaled a strong odour of formic acid, nevertheless cocks and 
hens fed on them greedily. The Odontomachus is a much more 
formidable insect of a blackish colour ; less active in its movements 
