﻿BRACHELYTRA. 85 



out the species^ one of which only, the " reel-neck " 

 {S . fragUis) , departs from a level obscurity of tone. 



The Stenid^e have the prothoracic spiracles hidden, 

 with the space behind the anterior coxse horny ; the an- 

 tennae inserted between the eyes or at the anterior mar- 

 gin of the forehead ; the anterior coxse minute, and the 

 posterior conic; the basal joint of the maxillary palpi 

 elongate, and the apical joint so small as to be scarcely 

 perceptible; the paraglossse membraneous, soldered to 

 the ligula in Evasthetus and Dianous, and free, with 

 rounded endsin Stenus ; and the tarsi five-jointed, except 

 in the former genus, wherein they are four-jointed. 



They live in wet places for the most part, sometimes 

 occurring in the water itself; Dianous carulescens (Plate 

 V, Fig. 1) being taken under stones and in moss in 

 waterfalls, etc. 



The quadrate raentum, longer antennae, smaller eyes, 

 and finer punctuation of this species, added to the vesi- 

 cles at the extremity of its abdomen, at once distinguish 

 it from any of the Steni, to some of which it bears con- 

 siderable resemblance. 



Stenus (in which the ligula with the paraglossfe and 

 labial palpi are so slightly articulated to the mentum, 

 which is triangular, that, when suddenly killed, they are 

 often thrust out adhering to the end of the gullet, and 

 form a kind of proboscis) comprises a great number of 

 species, of great family-likeness, owing to their cylin- 

 drical shape, strong punctuation, dull colour, and promi- 

 nent eyes; in the latter point affording another instance 

 of the remark before made as to a similar development 

 in water-frequenting Colcoptera. They are divided into 

 two sections, in which the fourth joint of the tarsi is re- 

 spectively simple or bilobed ; and these are again formed 



