28 BULLETIN 63, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



upon a giilar ])ediincle ; maxilhie exi^osed ; ligiila partly concealed ; 

 maxillary palpi with the last joint securiform, not very large; eyes 

 transverse, reniform, tolerably finely granulated; antennae 11-jointed; 

 elytra embracing ^videly the planks of the abdomen, epipleurse narrow 

 to moderately wide, middle coxae with large trochantine, side pieces 

 attaining the coxal cavities; metasternum very short, episterna nar- 

 row, epimera quite distinct; hind coxffi widely separated; intercoxal 

 process of abdomen rectangular; third and fourth ventral segments 

 not prolonged behind at the margin. 



Legs long; anterior femora frequently toothed; tibial spurs dis- 

 tinct ; tarsi channelled beneath ; fii'st. second, and third joints of the 

 anterior tarsi are at times thickened beneath, more or less obliterating 

 the groove, setose beneath. 



All are black or dark brownish, rarely reddish along the suture ; 

 variously though never very roughly sculptured ; a few species are 

 pubescent. 



The third and fourth ventral abdominal segments are more or less 

 broadly sinuate at apex, the angles appearing somewhat prominent, 

 but not noticeably prolonged. 



The tribal comparative genital characters are reserved for a future 

 and special study. 



Hahits. — Our species are terrestrial and cursorial, apparently 

 strictly nocturnal, or are about in the early morning or late in the 

 day. On warm cloudy days I have seen Elcodcs (jrdndicoUis and 

 E. acutieanda walking about. 



The larger species when disturbed place their bodies nearly vertical, 

 the head near the ground, tail erect, and when touched or irritated 

 will emit a ])ungent dark oleaginous otfensive secretion, which coming 

 in contact with the skin of the hands will stain brownish and 

 remain for a long time, and apparently fixed by an alkaline sub- 

 stance (Horn). 



The species of the present ti'ibe rarely ascend plants; the smaller 

 species {Blapylis) may be fomul on the stems or under the bark of 

 shrubs. 



When alarmed they I'un oil" with their bodies elevated. Probably 

 it is this habit which has suggested the name "* circus bugs," often 

 applied to them in the AAVst (Wickham). In California they are 

 often s])oken of as "stin]< bugs," "beetle bugs," and "tumble bugs." 

 The latter term is apjjlied no doubt on account of their frequently 

 tumbling over when excited ; also, ])inacate bugs (V. Kellogg). They 

 are a chai'acteristic feature of the arid regions west of the Mississippi 

 River. 



LotK/crity. — Some of the larger and moiv resisting species evidently 

 live to be several years of age; es[)ecially in the warmer regions of 



