as " closed at the sides," which has no sitle wall to enclose it. The coxal cavity is 

 understood to he a more or less cup-shaped hollow in the sternum, formed to 

 receive that i)ortion of the leg called the coxa. This cavity is often so far closed 

 on its upper side that it hecomes difficult to withdraw the coxa, and the articulation 

 thus formed assumes the shape of a ball-and-socket joint ; but, on the other hand, 

 as in man}' Stapliylinidce, the hinder part of the sternum is sometimes excised, and 

 the coxa left free and unconfined ; between these two extremes there exists every 

 possible modification in the form of this cavity. In the case of the genera referred 

 to above, it becomes a mere depression of the surface of the sternum without any 

 side walls in front or behind, and can therefore only be described as open in front 

 and behind. 



By their geoKrai)liical distribution, the Con/lophi<liv seem to prefer the warmer 

 regions of the world ; the majority of those found in Europe occur in the more 

 southern parts of that continent, and very few above the latitude of Greenwich- 

 The comparatively large number of the European species may readily be accounted 

 for by the greater length of time since they attracted the notice of entomologists, 

 and the greater number of workers engaged in their pursuit. But, nevertheless, 

 like the Trichojiteit/gidte, they have been much neglected ; and the numerous 

 species lately added to their list prove that the Corylophidie are more abundant 

 than they were hitherto supposed to be. 



In the following list I have included only those species which I have myself 

 examined ; many of those omitted are doubtless true species, but I cannot speak 

 of them from personal knowledge ; all such are, however, referred to in my 

 extracts from the works of other authors. Vide pp. 7-21. 



GEOGRAl'HIC.VL DISTBIBUTION OF THE SPECIES DESCRIBED IN 

 THIS WORK. 



Found in Europe 41 Peculiar to Europe 38 



., Asia 45 ,, ,, Asia 43 



,, ,, Africa 4 ,, ,, Africa 1 



,, ,, America oG ,, ,, America 53 



,, ,, Australasia 8 ,, ,, Australasia 8 



,, ,, Oceania 3 ,, ,, Oceania 3 



,, ,, Atlantic Islands 5 ,, ,, Atlantic Islands 4 



,, West Indian Islands... 7 ,, ,, West Indian Islands 6 



Common to Europe, Asia, Africa 1 



,, ,, Europe, Africa 2 



,, ,, Asia, America 1 



,, ,, Africa, Atlantic Islands 1 



,, ,, America, Oceania 1 



„ ,, America, West Indian Islands 1 



