80 INSECTS AT HOME. 



to fall off altogether, arid their long bodies have a way of 

 shutting up like the joints of a telescope, so that the end of 

 the tail only comes a little beyond the elytra, thus entirely 

 altering the normal shape of the insect. These larger Staphy- 

 linidae, however, are not so troublesome as the smaller genera, 

 aifd the beginner will find it better to commence with them, 

 and then proceed to the smaller kinds. 



There are eleven British species of this genus, which is 

 known by the long thread-like antennae, with the last joint 

 oblique at the tip and the large head. 



Our next example of the Staphylinidee is an insect of much 

 less size and very different shape, called Philonthus marginatus, 

 the only specimen that we can take of the very large genus, of 

 which forty-seven British species are acknowledged. In this 

 genus the thorax is squared, the antennte and palpi are slender, 

 and there is a strong tooth in the middle of each mandible. 

 The antenna of this genus is shown on Woodcut No. VIII. Fig. e, 

 the mandible, with its central tooth, at a, and the labial palpi 

 at c. The name Philonthus signifies 'dung-loving,' and is 

 given to this genus becavise the largest and most conspicuous 

 species are found under patches of cow or horsedung. Some 

 of the smaller species, however, live under heaps of decaying 

 sea-weed, such as Philonthus fucicola, the latter term signifying 

 some creature that inhabits sea-weed. The present species is 

 generally to be found under dead leaves. 



The colour of this little Beetle is black, but the legs and 

 the margin of the thorax are reddish-yellow, a peculiarity from 

 which it derives its specific name marginatus. The middle 

 segments of the abdomen have their edges yellow. This is a 

 very curious Beetle. 



The family of the Xantholinidse may be distinguished from 

 the StaphylinidiB by the position of the antennse, which are 

 inserted before, and not within, the base of the mandibles, and 

 are consequently much nearer each other than those of the 

 preceding family. The spiracles of the prothorax are con- 

 spicuous. The middle pair of legs is longer than the others. 

 They are nearly all black, diversified with reddish-yellow, and 

 are very slender bodied ; and, in consequence of these charac- 



