215 



near the sutural strife. In fact, the second and third strige are 

 wanting, and thus leave on each elytron, a wide or " dilated, 

 smooth, poHshed, longitudinal, continued space" as expressed 

 in Say's description. 



Two of my^ five species have this wide, impunctured, polished, 

 longitudinal space near the sutural stria or row of punctures ; 

 one of them being the true semistriatus, and the other my quadri- 

 foveatus. One of them has two abbreviated stria- near the scu- 

 tel; the other three species have only one punctulated stria 

 near the scutel, one only of the longitudinal strife being want- 

 ing in them; semistriatus has only one impressed point on 

 each elytron, and the tibiee are dark rufous ; quadrifoveatus has 

 two impressed points on each elytron, one before the middle 

 and the other near the tip, and the tibiae are darker, being de- 

 cidedly brownish ; quadrifoveatus is somewhat smaller than 

 semistriatus, and ordinarily has about nine strife on the head, 

 while semistriatus ordinarily has only seven. This last char- 

 acter, however, is not much to be depended on. I am inclined 

 to think that the type of your novemstriatus may be my quad- 

 rifoveatus ; but I shall be glad to examine your specimens of 

 this genus, as well as your Blethisce. 



HARRIS TO LECONTE. 



Cambridge, Oct. 13, 1851. 



You ask me what differences I find between Ciciyidela rugi- 

 frons and 0. unicolor. The insect that I refer to the unicolor 

 of Dejean, Vol. I, pp. 52, 53, appears to me to be distinct fi*om 

 the nearly or quite immaculate varieties of rugifrons. Nu- 

 merous specimens and varieties of the latter I took on the sands 

 beyond Mt. Auburn in Watertown, in August, 1826, and sub- 

 sequently there and at Chelsea Beach, and have seen others 

 from Martha's Vineyard. A practiced eye would at once 



