280 [February, 



riorly ; in the female they are prolonged and obliquely narrowed, so that the 

 body appears somewhat ovate. Of this form I have one female, from Fort 

 Snelling (Minnesota) and another from Wisconsin ; one male from Nebraska and 

 one from Oregon. 



(i. Of this form I have only a single female specimen from California ; the 

 body is elliptical, narrower than (et), the thorax not so short; the margin of the 

 elj'tra broad and strongly reflexed, the apex obliquely narrowed as in the pre- 

 ceding, but not longer than the abdomen ; the slight tubercle on each elytron be- 

 hind the middle is more apparent. Color greenish black. 



y. Color greenish black. Form regularl)' elliptical, narrower than the males 

 referred to (at); thorax not so short, less narrowed in front; elytra broadly 

 "rounded behind in both sexes, margin narrower than in the others, and strongly 

 reflexed. Very abundant in California. 



Besides these, I have two specimens which cannot be classed with any of the 

 above, and perhaps indicate other forms, which, however, cannot at present be 

 distinctly separated. 



The first is from Nebraska. It is a dull black male, having the thorax less 

 rarrowed in front than (a), and the margins of the elytra narrower, as in (^), 

 but less reflexed. The proportions of the body are as in the male of (). 



The second was found at San Diego, with {y) ; it is a greenish black female of 

 more dilated form, having the proportions of the male of (a), and having the 

 elytra broadly rounded, as in (^), the margin, however, appears less strongly 

 reflexed than in that form ; the tubercle of the elytra behind the middle, is more 

 obvious than in {a^ or {y). 



1 hese forms appear to be subject also to considerable variation in the sculp- 

 ture of the elytra; the punctures between the branching elevated lines are 

 sometimes very distinct, and sometimes almost obsolete. 



The following is unknown to me : 



Oiceoptoma {Thanatophihcs) tritubercu latum Kirby, Fauna Bor. 

 Am. 101. 



Found in lat. 54*. With this is probably identical the * Silpha opaca Atict.^ of 

 White, in Richardson's Arctic Expedition (p. 474). Whether Kirby's insect is 

 in reality distinct from the European S. opac a Linn., or is related to it as the 

 forms of S. r a m o s a are to each other, must be left for future investigation. 



Necrophilus Latr. 



1. N. hydrophiloides Man. Bull. Mosc. 1843, 253 ; Chevrolat, Guerin's 

 Icon. Regne An. 61, pi. 17, fig. 12. 



San Francisco, in decomposing human excrements. Nothing in Mannerheim's 

 description, or Chevrolat's figure and description, indicates any difference be- 

 tween Sitka specimens and those found by me, although a direct comparison 

 ought to be made in order to establish their identity. 



Motschulsky, (Bull. Mosc. 1845, p. 363,) states that what is considered as a 

 black variety of this species, is distinct, and thereupon names it N. at e r; with 

 liis accustomed haste, he leaves the distinctive characters to be determined by 

 any individual who is so lucky as to possess such rarities ; as few have had access 

 to species from Russian America, an expression of opinion upon this matter 

 might be dangerous ; for those, however, who would prefer adopting the belief 

 that there is but one species, until a second is demonstrated, I may mention 

 that the species found by me varies from piceous to black, and that there is no 

 other difference between differently colored individuals. 



Catops Fabr. 

 A. Thorax angulis posticis obtusis. 



1. C. o p a c u s,, ater, punctulatus, subtiliter pubescens, thorace semi-elliptico, 

 basi late rotundato, elytris obsolete striatis, tibiis calcaribus magnis armatis, 

 Long. '23. 



Say, Journ. Acad. Nat. Sc. 5, 184. 



Kew York and Ohio, rare. The male has three joints of the anterior tarti 



