might possibiy prove to be amongst the hitherto unknown, this 

 pretty little bubble, however, soon burst, and I must be content 

 to refer my beetle to a description already formulated, but which I 

 have not yet seen. It must suffice, therefore, to indicate such char- 

 acters as will enable British collectors to identify the species — when 

 they succeed in finding it. 



Quedius riparius belongs to the Sauridus group, near Q. mauro- 

 rufus. In shape it is fusiform, slender, the abdomen tapering almost 

 to a point. It is black, the head and thorax being very shiny, with 

 the faintest possible tinge of green when viewed in certain lights ; 

 elytra long, widest behind, the rather dense punctuation and pubescence 

 giving them a dull appearance ; abdomen iridescent (varying some- 

 what in different specimens), pubescent, the pubescence being thicker 

 and paler at the base of each segment, and forming a trianguhxr patch 

 on either side (arranged much the same as the golden pubescence on 

 the abdomen of Q. aaricomus), all these parts being furnished with 

 strong outstanding black setae ; antennae pitchy-black, rather long and 

 slender, the second joint much shorter than the first and third, the four 

 following joints much — -and the next three slightly — longer than, 

 broad, the terminal joint about one-third longer than the penultimate, 

 the basal half of the second, and the base of the following four or 

 five joints testaceous ; legs pitchy-black, knees and tarsi lighter, the 

 anterior tarsi strongly dilated in both sexes. Male with seventh 

 ventral segment deeply, triangularly emarginate, female with the same 

 part sharply but not nearly so deeply incised. Length, 6 — 7 mm. 



This interesting addition to our list of Quedii lives on the margins 

 of the swift waters (as they are called locally) flowing from the 

 hill-country in the neighbourhood of Porlock, and is apparently 

 scarce. After finding the first specimen, I devoted nearly all the rest 

 of my time to hunting up others, and after six days' hard labour 

 secured only fourteen — enough to give the species a firm footing in 

 our lists, but not sufficient to enable me to supply all my friends, as I 

 should like to do. It seems to me highly probable that this beetle 

 may be found throughout the Exmoor district. 



Mr. Champion informs me that Q. riparius is found in similar 

 situations in the Thiiringer-Wald in Germany, and in the Alps and 

 Pyrenees, and that it does not seem to have any very close allies on 

 the continent. 



Knowle, near Birmingham : 

 March 9th, 1896. 



