THE RED-NECK. 8S 



teristicjij the name of Xantholinidce, or ' vellow thread?,' hai 

 been given to them. This thread-like form allows the insects 

 to pack themselves np into a very small space ; and when they 

 are reposing, they act like the Hottentots, and double themselves 

 up in so small a space that when they are disturbed and unroll 

 themselves, it is really surprising to see how the insect gra- 

 dually developes its limbs and general form. 



The characteristics of the genus can easily be seen by re- 

 ference to Woodcut No. VIII. Fig. 5, which represents a com- 

 mon and pretty species called Xantholinus glabratus. The 

 head is long, and the small eyes are placed well in the front. 

 There is a small cylindrical neck, and the thorax is marked 

 with bold punctures, which afford a valuable means of detect- 

 ing the various species. The present species is black, -vsith 

 blood-red elytra. The disc of the thorax has four distinct rows 

 of very large punctures. The sides of the head and thorax are 

 punctured, and the whole surface is glossy, as indeed is ex- 

 pressed by the specific name glabratus, which signifies smooth 

 or polished. Eight British species are acknowledged. 



Another family, the Poederidiae, now comes before us. In 

 this family the spiracles of the prothorax aiv invisible, and the 

 antennae are set on the sides of the very front of the head. 

 The maxillary palpi are rather long, a,nd have the last joint so 

 liny that it scarcely looks like a joint. The left maxilla and 

 its palpus are shown on Woodcut IX. Fig. /. The head is 

 attached to the thorax by a very delicate neck, so that in a dried 

 specimen great care must be taken lest the head should fall 

 off. In some species there is a definite footstalk connecting 

 the head and thorax together. 



We can only take one example of this family, namely, the 

 small but well-known Beetle called by entomologists Stilicus 

 fragilis, a figure of which is given on Woodcut IX. Fig. 1. 

 In this genus, of which there are seven British species, the 

 head is wide and rounded, and the thorax is much narrowed in 

 front. The curiously-toothed mandible is shown at Fig. c ol 

 the same illustration. 



The present species is one of the few Brachelytra that has a 

 popular name. It is called the Eed-neck, on account of the 

 bright-red colour of the thorax. Its head is shining-black, 



a 



