COLEOPTERA. 



out, and feebly sigmoid, unarmed, having at the tip a dense fringe of 

 very short cinereous setae. Tarsi varying greatly in length, as is also 

 the case with the relative lengths of the joints, 5-jointed, having all 

 the joints normally cylindrical, or having one, sometimes two or three 

 joints slightly enlarged or bilobed ; strongly pubescent beneath ; 

 claws appendiculate, rather small, simple or nearly so. 



Anterior coxae small, sub-conical, slightly prominent ; intermediate 

 slightly separated, posterior conical. 



Prosternum always punctate, generally having longer pubescence 

 than any other portion of the body. 



Entire body punctate, punctures never absent, always very distinct, 

 generally more or less coalescent, giving a very diversified character 

 to the sculpture. 



Body generally winged, sometimes apterous, generally of a deep 

 black, sometimes having a slight metallic lustre. Legs sometimes 

 paler. Elytra rarely ornamented with two orange-colored spots. 



Pubescence always present, sometimes very prominent and long, in 

 other cases extremely sparse and shoi't, generally cinereous, fulvo- or 

 flavo-cinereous, or flavate, sometimes pale piceous, always setiform 

 and more or less erect. 



The insects composing this group are all small, generally minute ; 

 their appearance is very distinct, and there is no possibility of mis- 

 taking them, the very large eyes reminding us in some cases of Cicin- 

 dela in miniature. Their uniformly black color and deeply sculptured 

 integuments isolate them completely from any other of the family 

 groups. 



Their habits are very variable; the movements of some are rapid, 

 of others rather sluggish, some running continuously for long dis- 

 tances, others halting every few paces like the common house-fly ; 

 some are found on the muddy or sandy banks of ponds or streams, 

 running, swiftly in the hot sunshine; others are to be met with only 

 in the cool recesses of moss or debris cast up by the waves; others 

 again occur only under the bark of old logs. All are probably car- 

 nivorous, capturing their prey alive like most of the Carabidae, and 

 are not to be met with near carrion or excrements, except, perhaps, 

 in order to devour some of the numerous minute insects always 

 swarming about such pabulum. 



Regarding the protrusion of the ligula with its attendant para- 

 glossae, it can only be said that in our species it is a very rare con- 



