232 [March, 



rise to grave doubts lu tlie miucis of some recent authors whetlier there 

 were one or two of the species in Britain. But I am about to describe 

 a third, and set forth characters whereby there may be no reason to 

 doubt the identity of each of them, and I shall thus have removed an 

 impression caused solely, I believe, by the want of a series of examples 

 to enable authors to judge of their distinctness. The figures by 

 Germar and Burmeister are sufficient for any one who possesses their 

 works to see at a glance how the species may be recognised. The 

 shape of the head being the character for which the word Eupelix was 

 formed, I may here observe that although lielmet-sliaped, it much 

 more resembles, to our ideas, a vertical section of a helmet. 



Genus EUPELIX, Germar. 

 Germar, Mag. iv, 93, 22. 



Head scutelliform, horizontal, apex slightly recurved ; lateral 

 margins sometimes slightly sinuate ; down the centre a strong keel. 

 Frons narrow, with a more or less strong central keel ; lateral margins 

 always exterior to the eyes. Eyes elliptical, nearly divided longitudinally 

 into two pieces by the lateral margins. Ocelli slightly elevated, and 

 placed a little beyond the middle of the lateral margin. 



Thorax — pro)iotum transverse, with a strong central keel. Scu- 

 tellum triangular, with an arcuate depression before the apex. Thighs 

 without spines. Tibia} ; exterior margin with 4-5 spines. Elytra 

 coriaceous ; nerves prominent. 



Section A. 



Head broader than long. 



Head testaceous, almost twice as broad (measured across the middle of the eyes) as 

 down the centre, with dark brown or fuscous-black irregular markings next the 

 anterior margin, and a somewhat cruciform-shaped patch of the same colour at 

 the apex. iElytra testaceous, nerves finely granulated ; in the centi-e of each 

 granule a black dot ; between the neryes, towards, and at, the apex, more 

 or less sprinkled with black dots. 



Abdomen: cf , above black ; lateral margins, a narrow line within the same, com- 

 mencing at about the second segment, and another on each side of the 

 centre, testaceous ; genital segments testaceous ; underneath testaceous, with 

 a fuscous black streak on each side, narrowing towards the apex, side margins 



interiorly somewhat fuscous. Length, 2 lines. 1. cuspid ATA, Fab. 



Germ., F. E., fasc. iv, fig. 22. 



Sparingly at Boxhill in June, by searching at the roots of grass, 

 and below fragments of chalk. Also in Scotland, by Dr. Eeuter. 



