AMERICAN ENTOMOLOGY. 31 



or five obsolete impressed stride : feet scabrous, anterior thighs 

 slightly dilated beneath before the tip into an obtuse angle. 



Length one inch nearly. 



Obs. During the progress of Major Long's expedition up the 

 Missouri, that enterprising and excellent officer entrusted me 

 with the direction of a small party of thirteen persons, destined 

 to explore the country on the south side of that extended river. 

 After encountering many obstacles and privations which it is 

 unnecessary to enumerate, the party arrived at the village of the 

 Konza Indians, hungry, fatigued, and out of health. Commise- 

 rating our situation, these sons of nature, although suffering 

 under the injustice of white people, received us with their 

 characteristic hospitality, and ameliorated our condition by the 

 luxuries of repletion and repose. Whilst sitting in the large 

 earth-covered dwelling of the principal chief, in presence of seve- 

 ral hundred of his people, assembled to view the arms, equip- 

 ments, and appearance of the party, I enjoyed the additional 

 gratification to see an individual of this fine species of Blaps 

 running towards us from the feet of the crowd. The act of em- 

 paling this unlucky fugitive at once conferred upon me the 

 respectful and mystic title of " medicine man/' from the super- 

 stitious faith of that simple people. 



On the subsequent journey towards the Rocky Mountains, 

 several specimens occurred, together with other insects of the 

 same classical division, till then unknowa. 



The upper right figure. 



Blaps acuta. — Specific character. Blackish; elytra sca- 

 brous, grooved ; dilated sutural margin reddish-brown ; exterior 

 edge acute ; thoracic margin not reflected. 



Blaps acuta nobis, Journ. Acad. Nat. Sci. vol. iii. p. 258. 



Desc. Body blackish, punctured : head with larger punctures 

 than those of the thorax : antenna? as in the preceding species : 

 labrum prominent, emarginate, with short yellow hairs at tip : 

 thorax subquadrate : anterior edge concave ; punctures minute, 

 separate; lateral margin not reflected; lateral edge regularly 

 arquated, a little excurved at base; posterior edge nearly rectili- 

 near : scutel impunctured : elytra grooved : the four sutural 

 grooves with a single series of elevated points ; interstitial lines 

 with about one series of distant punctures ; sutural margin 



