In this country we have only two genera in which the tongue is bifid at the
apex, and on this account they are kept together as close allies in our
classification. They are, however, very different in general appearance.
One of these groups is called _Colletes_, on account of its habit of lining
its cells with a gluey material, the other, _Prosopis_, on account of the
markings on the face. The various kinds of _Colletes_ are densely clothed
on the head and thorax with brownish hairs, and the segments of the body
have whitish bands composed of a dense, tight-fitting, duvet of hairs (pl.
B, 10). There is in this country only one exception, a large insect like a
hive bee, but rarely met with, its headquarters being the Wallasey
Sandhills near Liverpool, and other localities in Lancashire. All the
species tend to colonize; some building in huge colonies {45} in sandy
cuttings, etc. They are preyed upon by a pretty little cuckoo bee called
_Epeolus_ (pl. B, 19), which is black, ornamented with brownish red and
whitish spots. One of our best known species, _Colletes fodiens_, can often
be found in abundance on the heads of ragwort along the sea-coast in July.
The other genus _Prosopis_ is outwardly entirely unlike _Colletes_: its
species are nearly all very small coal-black insects, with scarcely any
noticeable hairs, rather unusually narrow and cylindrical in form; they
emit a peculiar, agreeably scented fluid when handled; in the males the
face is almost always white or yellow, in the females there is generally a
yellow spot on each side near the eye. These little creatures are
especially fond of burrowing in bramble stems. They like those which have
been cut off in trimming the hedges, because in them the pith is exposed
and they can burrow their way into it without gnawing through the wood. If
any one, going along a hedge which has been trimmed, containing a lot of
brambles, in the autumn or winter, would examine the cut-off ends they
would soon find some with holes in them. These {46} may be the work of
_Prosopis_, but there are other bees and fossors which also burrow in this
way. So the stems should be brought home and opened. Then the _Prosopis_
cells may be known by the fine membranous pellicle which surrounds them,
but possibly even then a little jewel-bee cuckoo may be found in possession
of the cell, instead of the rightful owner. When these little bees emerge
they are generally to be found on wild mignonette, bramble flowers or those
of the wild parsley tribe. Some are very common, others of great rarity.
The males of this genus seem to have a peculiar tendency to develop
eccentricities in the shape of the first joint of the antennae, or feelers,
some having it expanded and concave, others rounded but thickened towards
the apex; in only one British species, _P. cornuta_, does the female show
any special peculiarity of form, but in this the face is produced on each
side between the eyes into a distinct horn-shaped process. In the females
there is scarcely any indication of pollen brush, and for this reason they
used to be considered as possessors of cuckoo instincts, but there is now
no doubt of their industrious habits; but {47} there is no other genus of
industrious bees in this country, with the exception of _Ceratina_, with so
little specialization for pollen collecting.
* * * * *
{48}