96 CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. 



Saprinus. — Numerous species inhabit Southern Cali- 

 fornia, occurring in or about decomposing animal or 

 vegetable matter. S. discoidalis, moderately frequent at 

 Redondo beach, especially in spring; occurs also in 

 Owens Valley and in Arizona: inter stitialis, rare at 

 Pomona, February to March; Catalina Island, and 

 Placer County, early spring: pedoralis, not rare from 

 the mountains to the sea, in early spring (February to 

 March); there can scarcely be a doubt that behrensi is 

 nothing more than an unusual form of pectoralis, in 

 which the prosternal striae have become united in front. 

 I have seen intermediate forms. S. ohscurus occurs with 

 pectoralis and is about equally common; they are cer- 

 tainly very closely allied, if, indeed, they be distinct: 

 pamiinosus, moderately rare; Pomona, Ojai, Pasadena, 

 San Diego: alienus, occurs only in the desert regions 

 from Owens Valley to San Diego County: lugens, exces- 

 sively abundant at times and always common, widely 

 distributed: oregonensis , not rare; many localities: liti- 

 colus, rather common on Redondo beach, December to 

 April: scissus, common on sea beaches; I have never seen 

 it inland: laridus, numerous examples taken on the 

 beaches at Redondo and Santa Monica; Wickham re- 

 ports it from Needles — possibly an error: insertus, two 

 examples. Riverside, April: ciliatus , Color ado River, rare: 

 vitiosus, found once at Yuma; occurs also in Owens Val- 

 ley and is common in Arizona: lubricus, abundant 

 everywhere: plenus, desert regions of the southeast: 

 fimbriatus, very common and wide-spread: coerulescens, 

 found once at Riverside in April, about decaying fish; 

 Blaisdell says, "quite common in summer about the 

 dead bodies of snakes and small animals," San Diego: 

 intritus, San Diego (Casey): consobrinus, one example, 

 Yuma, July; bigemmeus, common on all beaches; speci- 

 mens received from Wickham are labeled Los Angeles: 



