212 [August, 



sides of frontalia, which are bhie-bhack and glabrous; antenna) black, with third 

 joint robust, and five or six times longer than second ; arista thickened to the 

 middle ; facial setae extending only half way up the facialia ; palpi black, large, and 

 clavate at the ends ; thorax black, with whitish-gi-ey shoulders, four indistinct stripes, 

 and three post-sutural outer dorso-central setse ; abdomen black, with slight cinereous 

 reflections, and setee both on the disc and margins of the segments ; wings with 

 fourth vein bent in a curve, and apical cross vein straight ; legs black, hind tibife 

 ciliated on outer side with short but even bristles. Rare ; I have only seen one 

 specimen, which was sent to me from Norfolk by Mr. Bridgman. 



P. ciLiPEDA, End. 

 'pavida, Mgn. ?. 

 pumicafa^ Zett. et Mcq. ?, non Mgn. 



Blue-black, with hoary pubescence ; eyes long ; chin short ; frontal stripe rufous 

 or black, about equal in width to sides of frontalia, which are grey with bluish 

 reflections ; cheeks bare, pale grey with dark reflections ; facial setse large, and rather 

 far apart, extending fully two-thirds of the way up the face ; antennae with the 

 third joint four or five times as long as the second ; arista thickened to a little 

 beyond the centre, and having a fine capillary extremity ; palpi black ; thorax hoary, 

 with four very fine black stripes, and having four post-sutural outer dorso-central 

 bristles ; scutellum with black base and red margin ; abdomen oval, blue-black, with 

 hoary bands round the front parts of the segments, sides of the second segment red 

 in the male ; both discal and marginal setae ; wings with apical cross vein a little 

 curved, and outer cross vein sinuous ; legs black, posterior tibiae piceous or testaceous, 

 and hind tibiae ciliated along their outer surfaces with an even row of bristles, 

 together with one long seta near the middle. Grenerally distributed. 



P. pumicata, Mgn., is recorded as British, but I have not seen an example ; all 

 the specimens so named that I have examined have been similar to those of cilipeda, 

 having the hind tibiae more or less rufescent, and ciliated with a somewhat even row 

 of bristles ; I am, therefore, inclined to believe tiiat these two (so-called) species are 

 only varieties of one. P.frontosa, Mgn., has also been recorded as British, but I 

 have not been able to see a specimen. 



{To he continued.) -; • •;, 



CONCERNINa HEMIMERUS TALPOIDES, WLK. 



BY D. SHARP, M.A., F.R.S., &c. 



Although this insect itself is scarcely known to entomologists, 

 yet its reputation as a sort of entomological conundrum is almost 

 world wide ; it has been stated on good authority to form a separate 

 Order of insects, Diploglossata, and it has even been said that it can- 

 not be classed in the Insecta at all, but must be looked on as the type 

 of an allied class. A few months ago I had occasion to look at the 

 specimens in the British Museum, and from their superficial appear- 

 ance I ventured to prophesy that the species would prove to be a 



