BY JOHN WALTON. 11 



other species in this genus : the antennae of the males are en- 

 tirely testaceous, and the female has the club black, with the 

 base testaceous. I have recently taken the sexes of A. Pomonce, 

 at Birch Wood, in copula. 



No. 5" A. Ervi, 5 mas. and fern. ; No. 6, A. Lathyri, 6/em. and 

 mas. Mr. Kirby says, *' this species (meaning the latter) so nearly 

 resembles the preceding, that it is not without considerable 

 hesitation that I give it as distinct. Since, however, I possess 

 the sexes of each, and the males differ in the shape of the ros- 

 trum, and the females, both in the proportion of the data of the 

 antennas, and the connexion of its joints, these circumstances 

 will, I think, warrant my separating them." 



" That they feed upon the same plant, though a presump- 

 tive, is by no means a demonstrative evidence of their identity, 

 since it often happens that the same plant furnishes food to seve- 

 ral species of this genus. Major Gyllenhal, however, sent this 

 amongst specimens of A. Ervi, considering it, I suppose, a 

 variety." I must here venture to dissent. Mr. Kirby 

 must have had, at this time, a very confused idea of the sexual 

 characters, otherwise this great error is utterly unaccountable. 

 This opinion is corroborated by the insects in his collection : 

 the males are sometimes denoted by feminine characters, and 

 the females by male ones. See No. 9, A. wrax ; No. 10, A. 

 cwrulescens; No. 43, A. senmdus, <Sfc. In reply to his rea- 

 sons for making a male and female out of two females, and a 

 female and male out of two males, I must observe, I cannot see 

 any difference in the shape of the rostrum between his first 

 two females ; nor can I see any difference in the shape of the 

 rostrum of the last, which are two males ; neither can the pro- 

 portion of the clava of the antennae, and the connexions of its 

 joints, differ very materially in the same sex, unless by some 

 fortuitous cause. A. Ervi and A. Lathyri I captured in my 

 net, in copula, while sweeping. Their situation was not ambi- 

 guous, — they separated with difficulty. The sexual characters 

 are very distinctly marked in both, and are exactly analogous to 

 the sexual characters of A. Viciw, which Mr. Kirby afterwards 

 described, (No. 14, A. Vicice, tnas. and fem.) and accurately 



a These are Mr. Kirby's numbers, as tbey stand in the Monograph ; and are 

 taken from his identical described specimens. The sexes are also distinguished 

 by Mr. Kirby as above. 



