Mr. J. Nietner on new Ceylon Coleoptera. 179 



nut-trees, cinnamon gardens, paddy-fields, and patches of jungle. 

 Here I collected large numbers of Pselaphidse, especially Eu- 

 plectus, in thin, scarcely visible spider-webs, with which the white 

 walls of the house were covered in certain places — thus forming 

 one large trap for anything small flying about. That these had 

 been caught here when on the wnng, there could be no doubt ; 

 but I was much surprised to find with them (what is so common 

 in more congenial localities, here also) a considerable number of 

 Scydmcenij especially my S. advolans and pubescens, as they were 

 said, by the most recent authority, to be unable to fly, and the 

 position they then found themselves in was one they could not 

 well, or could not possibly, have got into otherwise than by fly- 

 ing. For some reason or other, I am ashamed to say, I did not 

 follow. up the matter at the time; but I am now certain on the 

 subject : — indeed, to remove all doubt, and to settle all disputes, 

 I have just been so fortunate as to take my S. advolans actually 

 on the wing, flying in my garden in the evening at sunset. 



Having gone so far, I will (in spite of some slight misgivings 

 of being laughed at for telling an old story with so grave a face) 

 add a few descriptive words about the organs in question. The 

 wings of my Scydmani are ample, about double the size of the 

 whole insect, oblong, having the margin beautifully ciliated, 

 and, with the exception of a few yellowish veins at the base, 

 without any visible organs of this kind. 



In spite of the difiference in their shape, &c., I believe all the 

 species described below to be genuine Scydmceni as restricted 

 at present. Being, however, unacquainted with the sexual di- 

 stinctions of these insects (which, indeed, I believe not to have 

 been satisfactorily pointed out by any one, and to diff"er in dif- 

 ferent species), I should not be surprised if one or two of my 

 species were eventually ascertained to have been separated upon 

 these grounds alone. However, as I have been very reluctant 

 to admit new species, it is just as likely that individuals may 

 hereafter be found united in one, which ought to be separated 

 into two species. But I trust that neither may happen. The 

 species were all collected by myself in the immediate neighbour- 

 hood of Colombo ; I have, however, no doubt that they occur all 

 over the S.W. of the island, which is of a uniform physical 

 character, and perhaps occupy a still larger portion of it. None 

 of them are quite common ; on the contrary, of nearly half of 

 them I possess only one or two specimens. My S, femoralis I 

 found under the soft, rotting bark of an Erythrina indica ; S. 

 Ceylanicus and ovatus I found dead in spider-webs ; S. gramini- 

 cola, glanduliferuSy and pyriformis I have hitherto exclusively 

 taken in the sweeping-net on the lawns of my garden about 

 sunset ; the other species I have met with indiscriminately in 



12* 



