148 RHYNCHOPHORA. [ Apion. 
By sweeping herbage, on or near the coast: it probably occurs on Trifoliwm, as 
it has been found in some numbers at the bottom of a clover stack in winter at Sheer- 
ness by Mr. J. J. Walker; very local and rare: Southend (Rye and Gorham) ; 
Sheerness (Walker and Champion) ; Weybridge and Seaford, Devon (Power) ; East- 
bourne (Waterhouse); Portsmouth, 1873 (Walker); Heath at Warning Camp near 
Arundel (Walton and S. Stevens) ; Brading, Isle of Wight (S. Stevens) ; ; Scar- 
borough, August, 1837 (Walton) ; the specimens in our collection are chiefly due to 
the liberality of Mr. J. J. Walker, who has found so many rare British species in 
numbers, and is a true type of an unselfish entomologist, as he collects vigorously for 
his friends and keeps no collection himself. 
A. apricans, Herbst. (fag?, Kirby, jlavifemoratum, Kirby, assimile, 
Kirby (1), flavipes, Mill. nee F.). Black, glabrous, rather shining ; fore- 
head rugosely punctured, rostrum long and slender, slightly curved, 
antenne black with base reddish ; forehead rugosely punctured; thorax 
oblong, oval-cylindrical, rather closely and distinctly and regularly 
punctured, with a central channel behind; elytra obovate with strong 
punctured striz, interstices rather broad ; legs black, with all the femora 
and the anterior tibize reddish-testaceous. L. 2-23 mm. 
Female with the rostrum longer than in male, and the elytra deflexed 
and callose behind. 
On red clover (Trifolium pratense), &c.; also occasionally on trees; gener ally dis- 
tributed and common throughout the greater part of the kingdom ; the species is 
spread over Europe and Northern Asia, and sometimes does considerable damage in 
clover fields. 
A. assimile, Kirby. I have followed Bedel in not regarding this as a 
separate species ; as he remarks (1. ¢. p. 209), authors are not ‘agreed as 
to the distinctive characters they assign to it, and it might be added that 
the characters themselves are comparative. and slight, ‘and in as far as 
they rest on the punctuation of the thorax and colour of legs they are 
not reliable, as in these points different specimens of the same species 
are somewhat variable. I have never been able satisfactorily to dis- 
tinguish the two species and am very glad that A. ass’¢mile appears now to 
be sunk, as it considerably simplifies the red-legged group; it may, however, 
be as well to point out the usually received differences as given by Walton 
(Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist. 1844, p. 37), where he says, ‘‘ A. assimile 
may be known from 4. fagi by having the rostrum in both sexes dis- 
tinctly more curved, and in the male attenuated in front, whereas the 
latter species has the rostrum of both sexes filiform, nearly straight, and 
evidently longest in the female. A. ass¢mle has the basal joints of the 
antenne dull piceous and the thorax closely punctuated, with the punc- 
tures confluent. A. fagi has the basal joints of the antenne testaceous 
and the thorax above more convex, with shallow subremote punctures on 
ihe disc ; and it isa larger insect than A. assimile.” A. assimile is re- 
corded as found in company with A. fugi and as being just as common. 
A. Bohemani, Thoms. (onunidis, Gyll., ononicula, Bach., assimile, 
Kirby forte, apricaus var. Seid/.). Closely allied to A. apricans but 
