COLEOPTERA. — CARABIDiE. 77 



death of the insect by pressing the abdomen near the anus, probably 

 until the secreting organs are become rigid. Mr. R. H. Lewis also 

 states that the New Holland species of Lebia emit a very pungent 

 odour, resembling muriatic acid, which, applied to the nostrils, pro- 

 duces considerable irritation. Trans. Ent. Soc. Lond. vol. i. p. 81. 



The British genera are Drypta, Polystichus, Odacantha, Demetrias, 

 Dromius, Lebia, Lamprias, Tarus, and Brachinus. 



The only British species contained in the genus Polystichus is a 

 curious insect about one third of an inch long. It has lately 

 been captured in considerable numbers on the coast of Suffolk, and 

 has been regarded by all English authors as the Polystichus fasciola- 

 tus of Rossi, from which, however, it is distinct. M. Brulle, who has 

 corrected the synonymy of this and the allied species, has given to the 

 English species the name oi P. vittatus. The only English species of 

 the genus Odacantha is one quarter of an inch long, of a bright tes- 

 taceous colour, with the head and thorax blue. It is found in Nor- 

 folk, and some of the other eastern counties, and has lately been 

 taken in profusion by the Cambridge entomologists in the reedy fens 

 in that neighbourhood. It is also found in the sedge boats upon the 

 river Cam, having escaped from the bundles of sedge^ which is 

 brought in great quantities to Cambridge. M. Brulle mentions, that 

 many hundred specimens of this insect were taken under the bark of 

 trees growing in water in Italy, although they have never since oc- 

 curred in the same locality, and, indeed, are very rare in the neigh- 

 bourhood. The species of the genus Dromius are amongst the smallest 

 Carabideous insects, and are generally found under the bark of trees, 

 especially during the winter. A memoir upon this genus has been 

 published, in the Transactions of the Entomological Society, by 

 C. C. Babington, Esq., in which the difficult synonymy of many of 

 the species has been cleared up. 



The genera Lehia and Lamprids are regarded as congenerous by the 

 French entomologists, notwithstanding their evident distinction. The 

 species of both are very elegantly diversified with different colours, and 

 are generally rare. Like the Dromii, they are often found under the 

 bark of trees. Some of the species of Tarus have the palpi consider- 

 ably dilated in the males {Jig. 3. ii.), which induced Fischer to form 

 them into a distinct genus, named Anomams. They are chiefly inha- 

 bitants of Europe. 



The genus Brachinus [fig. 3. 12. anterior tibia) contains about forty 



