252 PREDACIOUS AND PARASITIC 



scarlet, the colour gradually losing its intensity as it recedes from 

 the apex, which is covered with fairly thick black or brown hairs. 



The membrane beyond the coriaceous portion, forming about 

 one fourth of the entire length of the organs, is very finely rugose, 

 blackish or brown in colour, usually with a light or clear patch 

 below the final extremity of the coriaceoivs portion. It is strength- 

 ened by a thick nervure, extending in an oblong loop from one 

 ridge of the corium to another, and the space enclosed is divided 

 into two unequal cells by a similar nervure traversing it longitu- 

 dinally. Some part of these nervures, which appear to be con- 

 tinuous with the substance of the corium, are often almost as 

 brilliant in colour as the cuneus. The hemelytron is shown, 

 sufficiently amplified for these details to be readily seen, on PI. 

 VIII., at Fig. 4, in our last chapter. 



The membranous posterior wing, which is only visible when 

 the insect is about to take to flight and the wings are expanded, 

 resembles in many respects the corresponding organ among the 

 Coleoptera, (although of course without provision for folding 

 transversely) as may be seen by a comparison of the drawing. 

 Fig. 5 on PI. VII., with that of CoccineUa bi-pundata, delineated on 

 PI. VIII. of the previous volume ; but the arrangement of the 

 nervures is different in the various families, and although in the 

 Capsidce the projecting hook-like development of the nervure 

 forming the upper side of the cell, which is found in some genera, 

 serves for a sectional division, it is not always to be depended 

 upon, as it is sometimes scarcely developed, and in one family, 

 which I have not had an opportunity of examining, is stated to be 

 sometimes present and sometimes absent altogether. The mem- 

 brane is covered evenly, but not quite closely, with short, regular 

 hairs, and is fringed with very fine hairs of somewhat greater 

 length, which, along the nerve which forms the upper edge, 

 assume the appearance of very minute short spines. 



The Legs of the Imago. 



The last appendages of the thorax to be noted are the legs, 



which afford some useful features for generic division in the 



Capsida. The coxse in this family are generally very much 



developed, and the tibiae are sometimes furnished with spines at 



