THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 199 



pale pubescence at the margins of the abdominal segments ; 

 whereas in N. rnspator and its ally the pubescence is black. 

 Again, in the two former, the anterior black fascia of the 

 elytra extends well down upon the reflexed margin, whereas 

 in N. ruspator and its ally it only extends up to it. More- 

 over, in N. interruptus and N. gallicus the anterior orange 

 band does not extend quite up to the sulural margin, whilst 

 in N. ruspator and N. microcephalus it does. 



Now to diagnose N. ruspator and N. microcephalus. In 

 N. ruspator the posterior trochanters of the male terminate 

 in two spines, one of which is prolonged into a large re- 

 Jiexed hook ; in the female they have short spines only : in 

 N. microcephalus they have short spines only, in both sexes. 

 Again, in N. ruspator the orange emargination of the clypeus 

 is, in the male, large and quadi-angular, extending nearly to 

 the top ; in the female it is small and triangular, with the 

 apex rounded, extending about half-way up : whereas in N. 

 microcephalus, in the male, it is in the form of a triangle 

 with the apex truncate, extending half-way up (nearly as in 

 female ruspator) ; in the female it is merely a narrow strip a 

 little elevated in the middle. Another difference is, that in 

 the head of N. microcephalus there is a smaller mass of ver- 

 tex behind the eyes ; remarkable in the male, but manifest 

 enough in the female also. Lastly, N. microcephalus is, as 

 far as I have seen, a much smaller insect. It appears to be 

 rare : I have met with only seven specimens ; two, a male 

 and female, are in Mr. Crotch's collection ; there is one male 

 in the Stephensian collection at the British Museum ; I have 

 in my own a male and female, one taken by myself at Wey- 

 bridge, and the other by Dr. Ernest Adams, I think in Suf- 

 folk ; and there are a male and female in Mr. Waterhouse's 

 collection. I have taken N. ruspator at Shirley, Mickleham, 

 Weybridge and Sydenham, but not very abundantly. 



It remains to distinguish N. gallicus from N. interruptus. 

 The diagnosis of the males is easy enough, but that of the 

 females appears to be very obscure ; I have indeed only seen 

 one specimen which 1 can suppose to be the female of this 

 insect. In N. interruptus the posterior trochanters terminate 

 in simple spines in both sexes ; whereas in the male of N. 

 gallicus the external spine becomes a large reflexed hook, as 

 in N. ruspator. Again, in N. interruptus the emargination of 



