BEMBIDIIN/E 83 



therefrom as above suggested, for it resembles nigrum in general 

 habitus, size and more especially in having the eighth stria remote 

 from the margin ; but the subgenus cannot be divided consistently 

 as above by the conspicuous differences in form of the prothorax, 

 without taking this course, and after all, although the eighth stria 

 is similarly situated in both, it has its own peculiarity in each case, 

 being groove-like and moderately punctate in nigrum, and feebly 







and only partially impressed but with relatively gigantic punctures 

 in brevistriatum. Nigrum is joined very naturally to the succeeding 

 large species of the transversale type, though the qiiadrulum and 

 concolor sections of small black species, and, correspondingly, brevi- 

 striatum is united in equally gradual succession with the larger spe- 

 cies of the postremum type, having cordate prothorax, through the 

 californicum section of small black polished species, which present 

 corresponding conditions, as a link, that the concolor section does 

 in the case of nigrum and the large species with non-cordate pro- 

 thorax. 



The form above noted under the name nitens which is appar- 

 ently undescribed hitherto, the only references to it which can be 

 found being in lists and catalogues was placed as a synonym of 

 the European grapei by Hay ward, but as there are several well 

 defined species and subspecies of the section to which it belongs, 

 scattered through North America east of the Rocky Mountains, but 

 none at all on the Pacific slope, where boreal Eurasiatic species are 

 especially to be looked for, I am of the opinion that it is not the 

 same as grapei and therefore have described it under the name as- 

 signed by LeConte. 



The above species described as histricum is one of those con- 

 founded with the more northern picipes Kirby, by Hayward, as is 

 also militare Csy. the type of which disappeared many years ago 

 from my collection ; both the latter have bright rufous legs, however, 

 and could not have been appropriately named picipes, even with a 

 slight shading of the femora, which may be granted as sometimes 

 occurring. I find that in the species of that subsection having bi- 

 colored legs, there is no decided departure from this coloration, 

 except that due to evident immaturity, as seen in a good series of 

 the Californian optatum in my collection and, on the other hand, 

 in those species normally having wholly rufous legs, there is but 



