Mr. J. Nietiier on new Ceylon Coleopiera. 185 



tra with two short humeral costse, separately rounded-ofF at the 

 apex. Legs stout; two posterior cox?e distant; tibise slightly 

 bent at the base, subcylindric at the apex, the four anterior ones 

 hairy; tarsi with joints 1-4 gradually decreasing in size, the 

 anterior ones dilated, the joints transversely triangular, the in- 

 termediate pair hairy on the inside. Mesostemnm of the pre- 

 ceding. Metasternum with a slight longitudinal depression 

 down the middle. Penultimate abdominal segment grooved on 

 the back, as in S. alatus. In the enlargement of the anterior' 

 tarsi lies undoubtedly, as in other beetles, a sexual distinction, 

 as it is not equally strong in all individuals. I may mention 

 here, that upon some of the individuals I found ticks (some 

 genus allied to Ixodes, but not a Gamasus) fastened, one of them 

 having made a wound such as, supposing it to be inflicted at a 

 corresponding place and on a proportionate scale, few animals of 

 a higher order, I think, would have survived ; still this little 

 beetle appeared perfectly at its ease. The parasite alluded to 

 had fastened itself right in the centre of the forehead, and the 

 wound it had inflicted in this, one would imagine most dangerous 

 place, was a deep hole or pit with a callous border. The latter 

 led me to infer that the injury was an old one, and the tick being 

 at the time fastened in it (and this so firmly that I had some 

 difficulty in detaching it), I felt sure it had been in this position 

 for months. The injury was observable under a slight magni- 

 fier, and to compare it to one inflicted by a rifle-ball, would, I 

 think, be greatly underrating its importance. 



II. Fourth joint of the maxillary palpi acuminated; mesosteimal 

 carina strongly developed; eyes large, prominent, coarsely 

 granulated ; antennas distant at the base ; tivo posterior tro- 

 chanters simple; thorax variable; body robust, pyriform, 

 subconvex. 



a. Occiput rounded. 



35. Scydmcenus advolans, N. 



S. long. Corp. f hn. Antennae art. 3 et 4, .5 et 6, inter se sub- 

 sequalibus, obovatis, 7 majore, subgloboso, 8-10 subglobosis, basi 

 rotunda-, a})ice oblique-, truncatis, cum 11° conico clavam 

 formantibus. Palpi maxill. art. 3° elongate, inverte conico, 4° me- 

 diocri. Mandibulse tenues, medio acuminate l-dentatse, basi 

 abrupte dilatatse. Thorax ovato-rotundatus, apice fortius angus- 

 tatus, basi leviter 2-sinuatus, 4-foveolatus. Elytra apice singnlatim 

 rotundata. Tarsi art. 2-3 subsequalibus. 



The insect is of a brown colour, the antennae lighter, the legs 



