Thryogenes. | RHYNCHOPHORA, 271 
medullary canal of Scirpus lacustris, above the water level; the other 
species appear to have much the same habits ; the males may be dis- 
tinguished from the females by having the rostrum duller, the two first 
ventral segments marked with a strong impression, and the anal segment 
truncate at apex ; the three species are extremely closely allied to one 
another, and it is very difficult to find satisfactory characters on which 
to distinguish them ; those given by Bedel are perhaps as good as any, 
but the difference in the clothing of the elytra, and the relative length 
of the joints of the funiculus of the antenne is not very evident in, at 
all events, some specimens; nor again are the characters proposed by 
Thomson and others, which depend upon the smoothness or striation of 
the rostrum, the relative length of the joints of the tarsi, etc., or the 
differences drawn from the presence or absence of a spot behind the 
middle of elytra, at all reliable. 
I. Clothing of elytra consisting entirely of scales; elytra 
with the striz on disc less strong. 
i. Rostrum longer, punctured and striate (more strongly 
in male than in female); second joint of funiculus of 
antenne as long as the first, third joint longer than 
broad ; size larger Alwte ICEnC Woe, Go. Pome See 
ii. Rostrum shorter, nearly smooth (at all events in 
female) ; second joint of funiculus of antennze shorter 
than the first, third and following joints moniliform or 
transwerses sizesmaller  . ¢ 0 « « « « « +. Le NEREIS, Payk. 
IT. Clothing of elytra chiefly pilose ; suture with a band of 
scales ; rostrum very distinctly striated; elytra with the 
striaondise stronger) 9 F) 2h 5) fy te. Oe WS RCIRRHOSUS, Gyl/- 
T. FesTUCEH, Herbst. 
T. festuce, Herbst. Elongate, fuscous, thickly clothed with ashy 
scales ; head minutely punctured ; rostrum very long, slender and curved, 
ferruginous, rather dull, rugosely punctured, finely carinate at base; 
antenne ferruginous; thorax dull fuscous-brown, very closely sculptured, 
with the sides and under surface clothed with minute ashy-white scales, 
almost as long as broad, with the sides very slightly rounded ; scutellum 
whitish ; elytra long, parallel-sided, with deep and rather obsoletely 
punctured striae, interstices coriaceous; the suture, a small spot in 
middle of base and a patch behind centre are more thickly covered with 
whitish scales ; legs ferruginous or rufo-testaceous. L. 45-53 mm. 
Marshy places; especially about the banks of rivers; on Scirpus, Carex, &e.; 
oceasionally in flood refuse ; very local, and, asa rule, scarce; London district, Kent 
and Surrey, not uncommon; Gravesend, Whitstable, Barnes, Walton, Horsell, Colney 
Hatch (Champion, Power and others); Pangbourne, banks of Thames, once 
abundantly on Fescue grass (S. Stevens); Hastings; Leamington and Salford 
Priors (Blatch). 
T. Nereis, Payk. (palustris, Gyll.). Very closely allied to the pre- 
ceding, but, on an average, considerably smaller, with the antenne and 
rostrum shorter, the latter more shining, almost smooth in the female, 
and the joints of the former shorter, rather stonter, and somewhat 
