THE BRITISH GEODEPHAGA. ^1 



very different, besides possessing the blade which shuts down upon 

 it like the blade of a pocket-knife. 



The remaining characteristics to which I wish to direct 

 attention are entirely sexual. Very nearly all the males have the 

 joints of the anterior tarsi dilated in some way or other (see Fig. 

 27). The few examples shown in the drawings exhibit some of 

 the more general forms of these dilated joints, but there is a great 

 deal of variety in the different genera, some being square, others 

 triangular or heart-shaped ; whilst in others we find one, two, 

 three, or four joints modified in this way. Again, the genera 

 Anisodactylus and Harpalus have both the anterior and interme- 

 diate tarsi dilated, the use of which is, beyond dispute, to enable 

 the male to grasp the female ; those that are not thus provided 

 seem to have an equivalent in some other organ. A reference to 

 the drawing of the head of Cychrus rostratus (Figs. 16 and 17) will 

 show the enormous spoon-shaped palpi of the male compared 

 with those of the female, which are evidently used for the purpose 

 suggested. 



There is yet another point, namely — the very peculiar append- 

 ages attached to the under side of these dilated joints, which are 

 called tenent hairs (Fig. 30). These hairs are very remarkable in 

 form, suddenly swelHng out at the tip ; trumpet-shaped nearly 

 describes their form, only with this difference, that a trumpet is 

 round, whereas these hairs terminate in a much-flattened ellipse, 

 and seem to be hollow, suggestive of a sucker. They are placed 

 in rows on each side of the tarsi joints ; their number and exact 

 form differ in various genera and species. Good examples are 

 shown in the drawings (Figs. 28 — 32). The hairs act, undoubtedly, 

 as organs of prehension. It may be by their exuding a peculiar 

 sticky fluid, particularly at the time of union of the sexes, or they 

 may act more as suckers, or both functions may have something 

 to do with it. I have been unable to find any information 

 respecting these hairs in any work that I have had access to, 

 except in a paper read before the Linnaean Society in 186 1, by 

 Mr. Tuffen West. I find his observations exactly correspond 

 with my own. Connection is also assisted in some genera — 

 Harpalus, for instance — by the females having their elytra granu- 

 lated and rough, instead of highly polished, as those of the males. 



