Bees from British Guiana

Deep in the rain‑soaked jungles of the Bartica District, a team of naturalists collected a remarkable assortment of bees buzzing among blooming nightshades. Their observations, recorded for the Tropical Research Station of the New York Zoological Society, form the backbone of this meticulous survey. Listeners are guided into a world where even a tiny, ten‑millimetre bee can spark scientific intrigue.

The author presents a user‑friendly artificial key that lets anyone, specialist or not, separate each species by simple visual cues—thorax colour, body size, wing patterns, and more. Along the way, several new species and varieties are introduced, complete with vivid descriptions of brilliant greens, metallic sheens, and distinctive body markings. The narrative also notes where the type specimens now reside, linking field discovery to museum curation.

Beyond the taxonomic details, the work captures the atmosphere of early twentieth‑century exploration: the collaboration of William Beebe, the assistance of local collector John Tee Van, and the thrill of uncovering nature’s hidden diversity in a remote corner of British Guiana.