INTRODUCTION. 



XV11 



Upper surface of Necrophorus americant/s. 

 a. Mandible ; b. Maxillary palpus ; c. Labrum ; d. Epistoma ; e. Antenna ; /. Front : 

 g. Vertex ; h. Occiput ; i. Neck ; k. Eye ; 7. Pronotum (usually called prothorax) ; m. Ely- 

 tron : n. Wing ; o. Scutellum (of mesothorax) ; p. Metanotum (or dorsal surface of meta- 

 thorax) ; q. Femur or thigh ; r, r", r 3 , &c. Dorsal abdominal segments ; s, «*, s s , &c. Spira- 

 cles or stigmata ; t, t', t". Tibise ; v. Tibial spurs ; w. Tarsi. 



"Wings. — The anterior or mesothoracic pair of wings in Cole- 

 optera are horny plates, called elytra, and vary greatly in shape 

 and sculpture ; faint traces of nervures are seen in many families 

 in three or four lines of different sculpture ; they usually cover 

 the dorsal surface of the abdomen, but in many genera of widely 

 differing families are very much shorter than the abdomen ; the 

 inflexed portions along the sides ai'e called epipleurae. The 

 elytra are not entirely wanting in any species of our fauna, 

 though in certain foreign genera of Lainpyridse and Scarabaiidte 

 the females are destitute both of wings and elytra. 



The posterior or metathoracic pair of wings are membranous, 

 and have but few nerves ; these are so arranged in most instances 



