THEIB, CLASSIFICATION AND COLLECTION. 29 



beetles, may often be seen in the sunshine swimming on the surface 

 of the -water, sometimes a number together, with a rapid gyratory- 

 motion. They diftbr in many respects from any other of our 

 water-beetles ; the auteuna; are shorter and thick, and they have 

 four eyes, two above and two below the surface of the water. They 

 are very rapid in their movements, and so wary that it is not an 

 easy matter to catch them. 



2. The Beachelttea. 



The Brachelytra are so called on account of their elytra being 

 very short, leaving the greater part of the abdomen exposed. Their 

 English names are " rove-beetles," " turnuptails," or " cocktails,'' 

 and one large and common one {Ocypus okns) is known as the 

 " Devil's coachhorse." All the larger Brachclytra are predaceous, 

 and are very fearless. The whole of the beetles forming this 

 section are furnished with large wings, which they use very 

 readily ; and it is curious to see how they use their flexible tails to 

 fold their wings up under the small elytra. Many of this section, 

 which numbers about 700 species in Britain, are exceedingly 

 minute, and these small species are very fond of flying into people's 

 eyes in the summer. Most of the "flies" that get into the eyes 

 are in reality minute beetles. 



The rove-beetles are among the most puzzling to identify, and a 

 large number, on account of their extremely diminutive size, are 

 exceedingly troublesome to set. One of the principal characters by 

 which the species in this section are separated is the position of the 

 antennoe with reference to the eyes, and another is the notching of 

 the penultimate joint of the abdomen on the underside. The rela- 

 tive length and width of the joints of the antennae and tarsi, and 

 the degree of punctation and pubescence, have also to be observed. 



3. The Neceophaga. 



The word JVecrophacfa literally means carrion-feeders, and the 

 appellation is well applied to a large number of this section, which 

 feed upon decaying animal or vegetable substances. Another name 

 for this section is Clavicornes, which means "club-horned," the 

 antennae ending in a club. The French naturalists divide them 

 into two sections, Clavicornes and Palpicornes. The latter name is 

 given to several genera in which the palpi are as long as, or longer 

 than, the antennae. They are also sometimes called Phyllhydrida, 

 as most of the species are aquatic, and they are by some authors 

 put after the BLydradephaga, I suppose in order to have all the 

 water-beetles together, but their proper place is undoubtedly with 

 the Clavicornes, their antennae, although inconspicuous, being 

 clubbed ; and they appear to be out of place if interposed between 

 the Hydradephaga and the Brachclytra, two sections of carnivorous 

 beetles. 



The best known of the Necrophaga or Clavicornes are the so-called 

 " burying " beetles {JVecroj^horus). "We have seven species of these 



