278 



THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



within a short time, though it has frequently occupied my 

 attention for brief intervals. The time, however, has not 

 been altogether lost, for I found that, with each return to the 

 investigation, 1 obtained an additional, though small, insight 

 into the constitution of this complex, which has been the 

 subject of repeated efforts by the most laborious and 

 successful students of Entomology in Europe- 



The bases of the classification of the Rhychophora, which 

 have been proposed, are brief!}' these: — 



I. Schonherr* treated the great mass of these insects 

 (excludiug only the Scolytidae) as constituting a single 

 family, divided as follows : — 



A. Antennae not geniculate ; antenna! grooves 



wanting. ----- Orthoceri. 

 Brucbides, Authribides, Camarotides, At- 

 telabides, Rhinomacerides, Itbycerides, 

 Apionides, Rhampbides, Brentbides, Cy- 

 lades, Ulocerides, Oxyrbyncbides. 



B. Antennae geniculate ; grooves almost always 



distinct. ----- Gonatoceri. 

 a. Rostrum short, deformed ; antennae 



subterminal. - - - Brachyrhynclii. 



* Antenna! grooves extending below the eyes; 

 Bracbycerides, Eutimides, Pacbyrbyncbides, 

 Bracbyderides, Cleouides, Molytides, Byrso- 

 pides (the last with the rostrum received in 

 aprosterual excavation). 

 ** Anteuual grooves directed towards the eye ; 

 Pbyllobiides, Cyclomides, Otiorhyncbides. 

 h. Beak cylindrical, slender ; antennae 

 inserted far behind the tip. 

 Erirbiiiides, Cholides, Crypto- 

 rbyncbides, Cionides, Rbyncbo- 

 pborides, Conoderides, Cossonides, 

 Dryopbtborides. - - - Mecorhynchi. 



In the gradual progress of the work this last legion, the 

 Mecorhynchi, were divided into Synmerides, having the 

 front coxae contiguous, and Apostasimerides, having them 

 distant. The distinctions between the tribes above mentioned 

 were founded mostly on insignificant and evanescent modifi- 

 cations in the form of beak and antennae; so that with the 

 * ' Genera et Species Curculionidum ; ' Paris, 1833 — 1844. 



