THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 123 



femora, with a small mucro internally (sometimes not very evident). 

 Where these characters are found, however diverse the forms, specific 

 unity is indicated. 



Before drawing comparisons, it will give better results to note the 

 differences among the foreign forms, and for contrast, that approximating 

 most closely the American as described by Kirby is selected for descrip- 

 tion. 



Alate, surface black, clothed with gray, hair-like scales, an oblique stripe on each 

 side of the thorax, a spot on the fourth interval of the elytra in front of middle, and a 

 row of spots on each side of the abdomen of longer, denser white scales ; the femora 

 also annulate with white ; the abdominal spots are more frequently yellow, and often 

 the stripes on the thorax. Head densely squamulose, finely and closely punctate, a 

 linear fovea between the eyes ; antenna; with the first joint of the funicle short and 

 thick, second longer and attenuate to base, scape attaining the eye or not, according to 

 the length of the rostrum ; beak a little longer than the thorax, cylindriform, a little 

 dilated in front of the insertion of the antennre, densely squamulose, finely and closely 

 ■punctate, carina fine, attaining the frontal fovea or not. Thorax coniform, narrowed, 

 more or less sinuously, from base to apex, where it is slightly constricted and about 

 two-thirds as wide as at base, one-fourth wider than long ; disk irregular, often flattened 

 and uneven, densely punctato-rugose, varying from fine to coarse ; sides coarsely 

 tuberculo-rugose, median carina ending in the basal depression, sometimes abbreviated, 

 sometimes obsolescent. Elytra three-fourths wider than thorax, about one-half longer 

 than wide, apices mostly separately acuminate and porrect, sometimes conjointly 

 rounded with a slight notch, serial punctures variable in size and closeness, intervals 

 mostly even, sometimes the third, fifth and seventh wider and elevated. P'emora 

 mostly armed with a small spine ; mesosternum flat, more or less triangular. 



The following individual variations may be noted : — 



Rostrum. — Varies from about as long as the thorax to one-fifth 

 longer, sometimes strongly cylindrical in the longer beaked, in which the 

 carina is weak and frequently apical; more quadrate in the shorter beaked, 

 with the carina stronger, often attaining the fovea. 



Antetmce. — In examples with short rostrum the scape reaches the 

 eye, but not in those with it elongated. 



Thorax. — One-fourth to one-fifth wider than long, sides often a little 

 dilated at apical third ; other variations are mentioned in the description. 



Elytra. — The serial punctures may be large and irregularly spaced 

 or smaller and closer ; examples of the same length vary in the median 

 width of the elytra one-sixth of the width or more ; the humeral angles 

 are usually rounded to thorax, but not infrequently full and obtusely 

 angulate. Other variations are noted in the description. 



Vestittire. — In the form described it is long, hair-like, and moder- 

 ately evenly distributed over the surface ; in other forms it is so short as 

 to but imperfectly conceal the surface ; in others both lengths occur ; the 

 colour varies from uniformly cinereous to uniformly yellowish-brown, the 



