BY ARTHUR M. LEA. 61 



It is remarkable that so far do blind Coleoptera have been 

 taken in limestone caves in Australia, I have myself carefully 

 searched for them in such caveS in Western Australia, New South 

 Wales, and Tasmania without obtaining a single specimen of any 

 species. In the Jenolan Caves I have taken a spider in places 

 that are (except for artificial light) always in total darkness, but 

 have taken the same spider in the open under old rotten logs; in 

 bats' dung at the same caves I obtained many dipterous larvae, 

 some of which developed into flies belonging to the Muscidce; 

 from the same dung I obtained many fragments of the common 

 and introduced Ptinus fur; even, however, if these fragments 

 were from beetles that existed for a time in total darkness and 

 were not from the bats' droppings, it would be of little interest, 

 as the species occurs in many out of the way places, such as 

 cellars, cupboards, &c. In the Mole Creek Caves in Tasmania I 

 have taken a small blind crustacean and a slimy phosphorescent 

 dipterous larva; a very similar larva (I have not been able to rear 

 either), if not the same, occurs under logs on Mount Wellington, 

 and in other parts of Tasmania. In the twilight portions of caves 

 I have taken a number of beetles, but these appear to have been 

 accidental intruders; several spiders, however, appear to be con- 

 fined to such places both in New South Wales and Tasmania, and 

 at the Mole Creek and Chudleigh Caves a pallid, wingless, long- 

 legged cricket with exceedingly long antennae is very common. 



STAPHYLINID^. 



CEdichirus tricolor, n.sp. 

 (Plate iv., fig. 1.) 



Cylindrical and shining. Red; abdomen (two apical segments 

 excepted) black; legs flavous, apex of femora and base of tibiae 

 (but not the knees) blackish; antennae flavous, but the joints 

 usually slightly infuscate towards the base. Clothed with rather 

 sparse straggling yellowish pubescence. 



Head with large scattered punctures, extreme base supplied 

 with a feeble carina extending from near each eye to the neck. 



AVoOS ^ . 

 Ljj( LI B R A R Y 



