226 Mr. J. Walton on the genera Oxystoma and Magdalis. 



cabinets of Mr. Dale and Mr. Waterhouse ; the fifth in that of the 

 Rev. Wm. Little, captured at Raehills in D umfries- shire ; the 

 sixth received by Mr. S. Stevens from Newcastle, and the seventh 

 kindly presented to me by Mr. Heysham of Carlisle ; it appears 

 to be rare and only found in the north. 



3. M. aterrimttj Fab. 1781 (Mus. Fab., Mus. Banks), Germ., 



Steph. 

 Cure, atramentarius, Marsh. 1802 (Mus. Staph., Mus. Kirb.), 



Steph. 



— stygius, Marsh, var., Gyll., Schonh., Curt. 

 M. asphaltina, Steph. (^. 



This insect differs from the preceding in having the thorax sub- 

 quadrate, the sides slightly rounded, sometimes nearly straight, 

 and armed on each side adjacent to the anterior margin with a 

 large tooth, behind which are several smaller ones ; the elytra less 

 deeply punctate-striate, the interstices flat, broader than the striae, 

 and very finely strigated transversely or coriaceous. I forwarded 

 many specimens of this insect to Schonherr and Germar, with 

 the name Cure, atramentarius of Mar sham and Kirby, citing 

 Cure, stygius as synonymous, with a note of interrogation to the 

 latter name ; all my specimens were referred by them to Magd. 

 stygia of Gyll., aterrima of Fab. ; subsequently I have had an op- 

 portunity of examining a typical example of Cure, stygius of Mar- 

 sham, and I have now no doubt whatever it is but a small nar- 

 row variety of his Cure, atramentarius. According to the mu- 

 seums of Fabricius and Banks, the first examined by Germar and 

 the last by myself, this species is doubtless the true Cure, ater- 

 rimus of Fabricius ; but he refers it to Linnaeus ; yet the Linnsean 

 Cure, aterrimus, according to the insect in his cabinet, is the 

 Apion marehieum of Herbst, and as it does not entirely agree 

 with the description of Linnaeus, the name is sunk into a syno- 

 nym (see notes on Apion marehieum) ; under these circumstances 

 I consider there will be less risk of confusion by following Ger- 

 mar and Stephens in adopting the oldest name. 



This is rather a common insect in the south of England, but 

 apparently very scarce in the north ; I have found it in Yorkshire, 

 and plentifully near Gravesend, always upon the common elm- 

 tree {Ulmus campestris), in July. 



B. Femora unarmed. 



4. M. Cerasi, Linn., Marsh., Germ., Gyll., Schonh. 

 Rhynch. Rhini, Gyll. ? , vol. iii. 



Rhinodes Cerasi, Steph. $ . 



Partus barbicornis, Steph. ^, Mus. Steph. 



Cure, Cerasi, Mus. Kirb. 



The males of my foreign specimens of Magd. barbicornis from 



