Medon.'} STAPHYLINIDiE. 315 



punctured ; hind body suljparallel, somewhat narrowed just before apex, 

 finely and thickly punctured, clothed with greyish pubescence ; legs 

 rather stout, red, posterior tarsi evidently shorter than tibiae. L. 41- 

 5 mm. 



]Male with seventh ventral segment of hind body deeply emarginate 

 m an obtuse angle, sixth rather broadly and deeply emai'giuate. 



A marine species, only found among shingle or under sea-weed just above or some- 

 what below high-water mark ; very local and usually rare ; Isle of Wight and the 

 coast of the mainland opposite ; Shoreham, Worthing, &c. ; also recorded by Bold as 

 rare on the coast near South Shields. I have taken the insect in considerable 

 numbers in spring near Ventuor : it is very rapid in its movements, and, as it usually 

 occurs in shingle under large stones, is very bard to secure, as the instant the 

 stones are disturbed it dives into the shingle ; the shingle under the stone must 

 therefore be carefully searched to the bottom, or tlie stone must be suddenly thrown 

 over and the shingle immediately thrown over a sheet; in this way specimens may be 

 secured when all other means have failed. 



Tfl. dilutus, Er. This species is closely allied to M. fusculus and 

 M. hruimms, but is distinctly broader and flatter, and may be dis- 

 tinguished from them by having the third joint of the antennse distinctly 

 longer than the second (instead of about equal to it or a little longer as 

 in those species), and the punctuation of the head and thorax exceedingly 

 fine and close, and especially by the absence of an apparent central 

 smooth line on thorax ; the elytra are very thickly and finely and some- 

 what rugosely punctured. L. 4 mm. 



A single specimen only is known as British; this was taken on the 

 banks of the Cairn, Solway district, Scotland, by Dr. Sharp ; according 

 to Mulsant and Key it is very rare in France, and occurs under bark and 

 in moss on trees. 



in. piceus, Kr. This very distinct species may be at once known 

 by its colour, which is dark pitchy, with the elytra slightly lighter; the 

 antennae and legs are ferruginous, and the former have the six basal joints 

 darker than the remainder ; sometimes the two or three apical joints 

 only are lighter ; the insect is of about the same build as M. hrunneus, 

 but is a little smaller, and may be distinguished from it, apart from the 

 above-mentioned characters, by the plain longitudinal central line on the 

 head, which latter is more finely and closely punctured^ the more slender 

 antennae, more obsoletely punctured thorax, and proportionally longer 

 elytra. L. 3| mm. 



In the male the seventh ventral segment of hind body is angularly 

 emarginate at apex, but the sixth is almost simple ; in this point the 

 species differs from several of its allies. 



Under dead leaves in woods, in autumn ; very rare; Bexley Wood, Kent (Cham- 

 pion) ; Darenth Wood (T. Blackburn, one specimen). 



BI. brunneus, Er. Eather parallel, and somewhat proportionally 

 robust, head, and hind body (except apex) more or less pitch}^ thorax 

 and elytra reddish castaneous ; sometimes the whole surface is almost 



