'setting' rove beetles. 73 



The family of tlie Tachyporidce comes next in order. T nese 

 Seetles have the head usually simk deeply in the thorax, 

 without any distinct neck. The spiracles of the prothorax are 

 conspicuous, and the antennie are before the eyes, on the 

 margin of the forehead. The males have the basal joints of 

 the tarsi dilated. All these Beetles are unrivalled for their 

 speed, and in consequence of this characteristic the name of 

 Tachyporidce, or ' swift-footed,' has been given to them. 



Among these insects will be found the most troublesome 

 examples of that telescopic shutting up of the body which has 

 already been mentioned. JNIr. E. C. Eye recommends the fol- 

 lowing plan for preserving the proper shape of the- Beetle : — 

 ' The best v:ay in mounting them is to put gum arabic, Vvith 

 which a little sugar has been melted, under the tail ; and, as 

 soon as that is dry, gum the entire last segment over with 

 tragacanth, keeping the abdomen from contracting (if you can) 

 with a card brace. They should not be dried quickly.' Some 

 of these insects are so troublesome in this respect, that the only 

 plan of getting them back into shape is to fix the last segment 

 of the body to the card with a tiny drop of coaguline or 

 diamond cement, which soon sets. Then, when it is sufficiently 

 hardened, take the front part of the body in the forceps, and 

 draw it gently forward until the segments of the abdomen have 

 been pulled out to their proper extent. Then put a small drop 

 of coaguline under the thorax, press it down with a card brace, 

 and keep it down until it is dry. 



Our first example of this family is a Beetle called Boletobius 

 atricapillus, which is shown on Plate IV. Fig. 1, two specimens 

 being drawn as crawling on the top of a mushroom, and the 

 other in flight. The insects of this genus live in fungi of 

 different kinds, on which account they are called by the name 

 of Boletobius, or ' fungus-inhabiting.' Others are seen as they 

 appear when running in and out of the gills of a mushroom. 

 In this genus, which contains eight species, the body narrows 

 to a point behind, the head is long, the palpi slender, and the 

 antennae are long in proportion to the size of the insect. 



The general colour of this species is glossy-red and shining. 

 The head, breast, scutellum, and tip of the abdomen are black, 

 and the elytra are blue-black with a cream-white curved mark 



