1911.] 



59 



erroneous. The Russian Author gives elongatus as a distinct species 

 (Precis &c., 1830, p. 45) "5. elongatus mihi. Elongatus, niger, sub- 

 nitidus, profunde punctatus, eljtrorum macula oblonga rufa, pedibus 

 pallidis, thorace orbiculato, obsolete canaliculato. Petropoli in terra 

 argillacea semel eaptus. Medius quasi inter Bl. tricnrnem et fracti- 

 cornem , illo paruni brevior, sed fere duplo angustior, thorace convexiore 

 luutico et colore prreterea facile dignoscitur." 



Mannerheiin received his " fracficornis " from Gjllenhal (as I 

 suppose Erichson to have done), and as I think whatever his elongatus 

 may he, it is not Ixtior, Muls. We shall do well to apply the name 

 Ixtior to our British insect till further information shall be produced. 



B. Isetior was found in Yorkshire (Scarborough or neighbourhood) 

 by W. Lawson, and four specimens from this source are extant in Mr. 

 Champion's collection, 3&1 ? (one of which he has kindly given me). 

 There are 2 ? in my own collection, one of which I found "at Hammer- 

 smith Marshes, May 2nd, 1868, while the other has no laliel ; and in 

 Mr. de la Garde's collection a male, originally from the Crotch collection. 



(3)— B. sp. n. ? 



In Mr. Champion's collection there is a male I cannot reconcile 

 with any description. It is slightly larger than B. fracticorms, and 

 has the elytra of a dark red colour. The 5th ventral is abruptly and 

 deeply emarginate, the emargination being longer and narrower than 

 hifracticornis or leetior. This individual came originally from the 

 Power collection.* I myself possess a female which I have little doubt 

 is of the same species, If the number " 1224 " it bears be in my 

 handwriting, this specimen was found in flood refuse on the banks of 

 the ISTith below Thornhill, September 4th, 1875. But I doubt whether 

 it is my handwriting, and if not the specimen is from some other 

 source ; possibly from Dr. Power, 



(4) B. FEMORALIS, Cyll. 



This species is extremely close to B. fracticornis, but is on the 

 average a little smaller, with somewhat darker legs and base of the 

 antennae, and the male characters are more pronounced, there being a 

 very distinct tooth on each side of the 5th ventral segment at the 

 junction of the membranous part with the harder part. This is 

 doubtless the Oxytelus femoralis of G-yllenhal ; he gave this name to 

 the species to distinguish it from the paler legged fracticornis. Erich- 

 son did not know the sexes. 



B. femoralis in the south of England is much commoner than 

 fracticornis, but I have not seen it from the north, I have known 

 large specimens to be named fracticornis in collections. Both the 

 species vary a good deal, and femoralis often has the elytra of a brown 

 or brown-red colour. 



I may here correct an error in my note as to Bledius terebrans, 

 anted p. 34 : " Closely," the last word of line 7, is a mistake for 

 " coarsely." 



Brockenhurst : Jan. 30th, 1911 



•Similar siiecimcns in the Power collection are laliclled as liaving been taken at Brentford. — G.C.C. 



