THE AUSTRALIAN NATURALIST. 
I have as yet been unable to ascertain the number of 
- broods per season, but from the notes I have, it would ap- 
pear probable that there, is only one, as the dead flower 5 
stems of the Grass-tree soon fall. : 
The male bee is of a beautiful metallic green atone 
- face white, and the thorax and base of the abdomen 
clothed with golden hairs, those on the dorsal surface of 
the thorax forming two parallel bars. The wings are- 
slightly clouded with brown. Length, over half inch. 
The female bee is Pee larger and stouter in build 
than the male, The colouration is similar to the male, but 
lacking the golden down, the abdomen darker and ‘with: 
a purple shade. Its wings are dark brown and NSS 
opaque. 
The sexes appear on- the average to be two male to 
three female bees. The cells containing male bees do not 
appear to differ in any way from those containing females, 
nor do they appear to occupy any definite position in 
the nests. No parasites were observed in any stage of air 
a metamorphosis. 
REE BRENCES TO- THE CARPENTER BEES. 
Tats Descent of Man.’ _ Note the . 
(less anys in: 
ane eee of the Guiras Lestes. 
W. W. Froggatt: ‘““The atonrOlog of ‘the \Girsas 
trec.’?? Pro. Linn. Soc., New South Wales, p. 81, 1896. 
“Notes on Life History.’ : ate 
W. W. Froggatt: ‘“‘ Australian Insects,”” 1907 
: Hymenoptera, p. 117. : 
: F. Smith; ‘Notes on the Habits of Australian: Tees 
noptera,’”? Trans. Ent. Soe., London, Vol. I. (Ser. 2), Dp. 
179, 1850. Describes the nesting habits to these bees. 
aa INPERESTING OLD MANUSCRIPT BOOKS. | 
(Hxhibit by D. steels) pies ; 
A couple of interesting old manuscript Books) dated: 
respectively 1790 and 1813, were written by Mr. Thomas 
Manwell, a remarkable self- educated man, who, by his uu 
