50 BEETLES. 



Genus Antiiobium, Leach. 



Body short and broad, somewhat flattened. Wings are 

 present. The head is nearly triangular, with a smooth front, 

 and rather large, prominent eyes. The pronotum is slightly 

 narrower than the elytra, which almost cover the abdomen. 

 The antennae are usually thickened towards the extremity. 

 They are found in flowers, and particularly in hilly districts. 



* A. ophthalmicum, Payk. Testaceous, finely punctured, with 

 a black head and prominent eyes. The elytra are glossy 

 yellow, and twice as long as the thorax. The abdomen is 

 black, and so are the tips of the antennae. Length, about 

 lJ-2 mm. It is common in flowers. 



* A. minutum, Fabr., is about the same size as the last 

 species. It is black, somewhat shining, with the head slightly 

 punctured. The pronotum has the sides expanded and flat, 

 finely punctured. The wing-cases are pitchy-brown and 

 punctured, truncated at the end in the male, spined in the 

 female. The base of the antennae is testaceous, and so are 

 the legs. It is local, but common where it occurs. 



Family VII. SILPHIDiE. 



Body flat, sharply margined. Antennae with eleven joints, 

 rarely with only ten, gradually thickened, or with several of 

 the joints at the end expanded. The front coxae are conical, 

 and project from their articular pits. The abdomen is composed 

 of six movable segments. They generally live in carrion 

 or in the bark of trees, and thus act as scavengers in nature. 



Genus Catops, Fabr. 



Body elongated, oval, brown or blackish -brown. The 

 antennae have five expanded joints at the end, the second 



