276 



THE SCOTTISH NATURALIST 



H. cuniculariiis by contrasting it with its more common 

 congeners, which are familiar to most naturalists interested 

 in the Coleoptera. 



The essential features distinguishing the three species 

 are the configuration and sculpture of the thorax. The 

 following table gives the characters of each species. Figure i 

 illustrates the configuration of the thorax in each. It is a 



Fig. I. The Thorax. Camera Lucida Sketch, all x lo. 

 a = /f. a«cr, Pk. b = i/. cumtcuZonws, Br. c = //. pa»i«<its, Gy'l- 



familiar figure in the continental text-books, and my only 

 excuse for introducing it here is its usefulness. The 

 specimens from which I have drawn it are all Scottish. 



P'rom the above table it will be seen that H. ater and 

 H. cuniailarius are very similar. The sparse puncturing on 

 the disc of the thorax in H. ater, however, causes the thorax 

 to appear shiny, and this feature, together with the more 



