Page:VCH Cornwall 1.djvu/236

 A HISTORY OF CORNWALL by Baily in 1893. It has since been recorded from Loe Pool in the same neighbourhood, and by Nevinson from Perranporth. Of the two varieties of A. rosae, trimmerana is generally distributed, and not uncommon about the beginning of May, but ipinigera is evidently local. The autumn brood (rosae) occurs not infrequently along the south coast. The A. austriaca of Panzer was described by Marquand as plentiful in two or three places at bramble around Penzance, though males were extremely scarce. A. florea and A. thsracica, though scarce, appear to be generally distributed. The latter has been taken at St. Mary's, Scilly. A. cineraria occurs very sparingly about Falmouth and Penzance, and has been taken twice above Scawswater, Truro. A. darkella is nowhere common, but is widely spread. It is one of the earliest spring bees, and has been obtained by Baily on the slopes above Marazion on 12 February. A specimen of A. nigriceps was taken by Marquand at Jasione montana, near Mulfra, in the Land's End district. Three were taken subsequently near Helston, and Nevinson has found it lately at Newquay. In July, 1883, Marquand captured both sexes of A. simillima at their burrows in a hedgebank near Redruth. The species has been taken around Penzance, chiefly at bramble, and also at Perranporth. A. denticulate is wide-spread, and in places fairly common. A. hattorfiana y the finest species in the genus, occurs regularly every year about Trevaylor and elsewhere in the Penzance district. It has been taken at Loe Pool, at Falmouth, at Bishop's Wood, Truro, an'd along the banks of the Lynher. The ruddy form of the female has been obtained once, namely, near Madron, in 1893. ' <*'*'> ^ or a ^ ew ^ a 7 s at the en ^ f August last year (1905), was common on Scabiosa, near Bude. Previous to that time only two solitary specimens had been recorded for the county. Females of A. coitana are not uncommon locally on brambles and wild thyme in the latter half of July, but males are very rare. A. fulvago occurs at intervals all round the coast, and has been taken at Tresco, Isles of Scilly. A. humilis in the end of June and beginning of July is in places one of the commonest of bees, often burrowing in hard path- ways and thronging the heads of mouse-ear hawkweed. On 3 July, 1891, the incoming tide in a perfectly calm sea at Hayle Towans threw up on the sands a long line of black surface scum, which, on examination, was found to be composed of many thousands of dead bees, all belonging to this species. The rare A. proximo is represented by a solitary female in beautiful condition, captured by Marquand at Gulval on 7 July, 1883. That recent addition to the British list, Ci/issa melanura, was taken by E. C. H. Davies at Porthcothan in August, 1903. The handsome Dasypoda hirtipes has been taken at intervals along the south coast, but is commoner on the towans of the north. In 1891 there was a splendid colony at Carbis Bay, which was probably destroyed by the sea, as in 1899, when the spot was revisited, it had disappeared. Specimens are still not infrequently captured in the neighbourhood. The present head quarters of this species in the county is in the valley of the Gannel at Newquay. The coal-black genus Panurgus contains only two British species, P. calcaratus and P. ursinus. The latter is at times one of the most abundant bees in the Land's End district, especially in the month of July. It is not unfrequently reported from other parts of the county, and in 1905 was very common near Bude for about a fortnight. The former is, on the other hand, curiously local though widely spread. That fascinating genus of inquilines, Nomada, contributes seventeen species to the county list. A solitary specimen of N. obtusifrons was captured by Marquand on Jasione montana near Penzance. N. sexfasciata occurs at Mousehole and Newlyn, but is not so common in the Land's End district as its host Eumenes longicornis. N. lathburiana has been taken occasionally on the banks of the lower Lynher. A male of the fine N. armata was obtained by Marquand at Gulval in 1883, and a second specimen ten years later by Baily at Mousehole. N. ferruginata and N. fabriciana seem to be widely diffused throughout the county, but while the former is somewhat scarce the latter is often abundant in the west and common locally in the north. The diminutive dark brown N. furva is generally common, and one sunny day in July, 1 905, the number present in the valley leading down to Chapel Porth must, on a modest computation, have amounted to several thousands. Two days later only a few stragglers were left. The little shining blue bee Ceratma cyanea was twice obtained by Marryat at Looe in 1890, but has not been met with since. Coeloxys vectis has been taken several times at Trevaylor, near Penzance, and during the past four years has not been uncommon at Newquay. C. acuminata is frequently obtained on the north coast between St. Agnes and Tintagel. Several specimens of Osmia pilicornis were taken at Scawswater, near Truro, in 1901, and one was captured at Penryn last year. 0. aurulenta was reported from Liskeard in 1899, and two years later it was bred from shells of Helix aspersa from the same neighbourhood. Lately it has been obtained several times at Newquay. A solitary male of O. leucomelana was captured at Whitsand Bay east in May, 1 904. Stelis aterrlma is not uncommon about Porthgwarra and at Newquay, and has been taken at Falmouth, at Bishop's Wood, Truro, and near Bude. S. phaeoptera occurs around Penzance and on the banks of the Lynher. Anthopbora quadrtmaculata has been taken occasionally about Pendennis Castle, Falmouth, in the neighbourhood of Penryn, and at Newquay, where it shows a most marked partiality for Lamium purpureum. 184