(Page 348) 

 and posterior margin of the abdominal sixth ventral Joint feebly 

 curved inwaj-dly. 



It is distributed with the host wasp.. Vespa crabro . in who's nest it 

 sometimes occur in considerable numbers; but as the wasp often builds 

 its nest inapproachably high in hollow trees, particularly oak, and. 

 is feared on account of its severe, poisonous stin;.:, the staphylinid 

 is not easily apprehended. Formerly it was here taken singly in North- 

 sjaelland and Lolland outside of the wasp nest or partly reared by 

 larva from this, fiore recently it was on one occasion taken in num- 

 bers in Hvedholm Dyrehave at Faaborg (Aug. 19C1, superintendent of 



schools Jergensen, Odense)-( Page 349 ) as they^ gradually came out of 



the nest, or came flying to it. - The larva lives in the wasp's nest 

 mainly of all sorts of waste; they winter in the nest, and in the 

 crumbling s of the tree, and pupate there. As mature beetle Velleius 

 is living of the wasp's gathered provisions, and of outflowing tree- 

 sap; it favours honey and sugar. It makes itself useful in the nest 

 by protecting it from other, dangerous parasites, namely large sco - 

 lopendred , which it attacks and tears to pieces with ferocious fury, 

 "^hen alive it smells strongly of musk. 



64. lenus ^uedius Steph. 



(Steph. 111. Brit. Ent. V. 1832, 214; Erichs. Kaf. Mk. Br. I, 483; 

 ien. Spec. Staph. 523; Kraatz Ins. L. II, 486; Kuls. et Rey Brevip. 

 1877, 469; :Janglb. Kaf. h. II, 391. - Thoms. Skand. Col. II: Quediu s 

 -f Microsaurus 4- Raphirus hhv. 173, 174, 177). 



A genus composed of numerous species with stretched, fusiform 



body (Fig. lie). The head is rounded or ovate with thick or rather 



•18- 



