I34 THE SCOTTISH NATURALIST 



grounds existed I have no doubt such a change would not be 

 adopted. The most exhaustive and reliable work on the 

 family is that of Herr Stein in Berlin. Ent. Zeit., 1895. The 

 only work of late years in English is that in Meade's 

 Anthomyidce, 1897, but the descriptions are very short and 

 sometimes confusing, while one or two species may be met 

 with which are not included in that paper. The generic 

 characters may be briefly tabulated as follows : — 



Head in <$ , owing to the unprojecting frons and epistome, 

 and the large size of the eyes, which occupy almost the whole 

 side of the head, almost hemispherical ; in the ? this is not 

 so noticeable, but the species of the genus may be recognised 

 by the peculiar bristling of the frons, the crossed frontal 

 bristles are absent, and there are in addition to the usual 

 fronto-orbital row of bristles, two upper and outer fronto- 

 orbital bristles, one almost in line with the front ocellus, in 

 the middle of the orbit pointing backward, and one nearly 

 half-way down towards the antennae, pointing outwards over 

 the eye ; antennae of moderate length ; arista pubescent or bare. 

 The abdomen in the $ is nearly always flattened elongate- 

 elliptical in shape, and somewhat rounded at the apex, 

 consists of five segments, of which the first is the shortest, 

 the second generally shorter than the third, which is equal 

 to the fourth, and the fifth somewhat longer than the fourth ; 

 in the 9 the abdomen is not so noticeably flattened, and is 

 much more pointed at the apex. The neuration of the wings 

 is peculiar in having the sixth vein shortened, and the seventh 

 sharply bent up round the end of the sixth. Calyptra equal, 

 or slightly unequal. Mid tibiae in the <$ of nearly all the 

 species thickened on the apical half on the ventral side, and 

 clothed on at least the thickened part with distinct pubes- 

 cence. The leg-bristles present on practically all the species 

 of both sexes are confined, with the exception of the long 

 hair-like bristle at the base of the mid femora on the ventral 

 surface, to the tibia, as follows : fore tibia with a preapical 

 bristle, mid tibia with one antero-dorsal and one postero- 

 dorsal bristle, situated generally at about one-third from the 

 tip, and one dorsal (preapical) bristle nearer the tip ; hind 

 tibia with two dorsal bristles, a large one near the middle 



