MB. HARDY ON THE BERWICKSHIRE STAPHYLINIDJE. 243 



It varies with five punctures in each row of the dorssi series. This state of 

 the insect is not to be confounded with Ph. obeninus, Grav.— Ph. varians, 

 Steph., which is a much more robust insect, with the head large, orbiculate, 

 about the breadth of the thorax. It sometimes also varies with four punctures 

 in the dursal series, and then appears to be the Ph. sericeus of Stephens. 



10. Ph. albipbs (Staph. Orav. Micr. 28) : With the habit of minute varieties 

 of Ph. varianfl, but smaller and more slender, small, deep black ; head and tho- 

 rax polished and shining, the former rather small, oval, with the usual punc- 

 tures ; thorax narrowed to the front and compressed, sides somewhat straight- 

 ish, the dorsal punctures placed rather apart, the two anterior in each row 

 most approximating, two oblique punctures on the sides, and three on the 

 anterior angles, the punctures minute, shining, black, and in the type on each 

 side posteriorly, presenting in some lights a silky gloss ; elytra subquadrate, 

 rather narrow, sometimes widest behind, not quite flat, thickly and minutely 

 punctulate, fuscous brown, or deep black, somewhat shining, viewed trans- 

 versely thickly grlseous pubescent ; abdomen black, rather shining) distinctly, 

 minutely, but not very closely punctulate, thickly griseous pubescent ; beneath 

 with the segments delicately edged with dull ferruginous, in the type with 

 bright testaceous, broadest on the fifth and sixth, pubescence approaching to 

 fttscous; legs black, with the joints and tarsi piceo-testaceous, or variously 

 tinged with yellow and piceous, in the type entirely testaceous yellow ; anterior 

 tarsi of the male slightly dilated, of the female simple ; antennae slender, black, 

 with the base beneath piceous or ferruginous ; palpi black, piceous or sub-tes- 

 taceous. L. 2 — 24 lines. 



Erichson, Gen. et Spec. Staph. 419.— Heer, Fn. Col. Helv. i. 262. Staphy- 

 linus albipes, Ch/U. Ins. Suec. ii. 327. 



Very rare : taken near Penmanshiel in August. 



It has been found near Newcastle, first by Mr. Bold, and afterwards by my- 

 self. 



Having at first doubtfully referred my specimens to this species, I have been 

 since convinced of having done so accurately, by the examination of typical spe- 

 cimens named by Gravenhorst for AI. Foerster, of Aix-la-Chapelle, and kindly 

 communicated by that naturalist, through Francis Walker, Esq. The only 

 differences I can perceive, are the darker colour of our specimens, the deeper 

 hue of their legs, which are sometimes almost black, the slighter ferruginous 

 tint of the margins of the ventral segments, and a deficiency of silken gloss on 

 the sides of the thorax behind. Erichson does not notice this variety, but 

 Gyllenhal states that in Swedish insects the base of the femora and the tarsi 

 are at times obscure. I have not been able exactly to refer it to any described 

 British species. Philonthus nitens, Gabrius suaveolens (for it varies with five 

 punctures in the dorsal series, and in the colouring of the elytra), and Quediua 

 caliginosus, Stephens, may be adduced as not unlikely synonymes ; and Quedins 

 sericans, Q. fuscipennis, and Q. rufipes, are not without relative particulars, 

 only the head in two of these is said to be orbiculate. 



11. Ph. Xaktholoma (Staph. Grav. Mon. 41): Black, shining, depressed ; 

 head often broader than the thorax, subquadrate, sub-depressed, sub-ovate, and 

 less in the females, two large punctures between the eyes, and an obsolete 

 intervening depression, with several large punctures above the eyes, which are 

 smaller and crowded in the female ; thorax narrow, longer than broad, narrow- 



