318 STAPHYLINID^. [Medo7i. 



In moss, haystack refuse, &c. ; common and generally distributed throughout the 

 southern and midland districts of England ; rarer further north ; Northumberland 

 district, banks of streams, not common ; Scotland, Lowlands, rare, Solway district 

 only ; Ireland, near Belfast, VVaterford, &c. 



We also appear to possess as British the closely allied species M. hi- 

 colo)', 01. ; the differences, however, between this and the preceding are 

 so slight that it would hardly seem to be more than a variety ; it is 

 proportionally broader than M. melanocepJialus, and a little more thickly 

 punctured, and the head is a little less parallel ; these differences, how- 

 ever, are extremely slight ; the elytra are very slightly longer, and the 

 head and thorax are evidently more thickly punctured at the sides. 

 This species, or variety, appears to be rather uncommon on the Continent ; 

 it occurs under stones and moss in company with ants ; there are 

 specimens in Dr. Power's collection, from the London district, which 

 seem to agree with descriptions of this insect, and it may be somewhat 

 widely distributed in the midland and southern districts. 



IMC. obsoletus, IS'ord. Entirely dull black, or pitchy black, clothed 

 witli very fine, short, and close greyish pubescence, the Avhole upper 

 surface very finely and thickly punctured ; head subquadrate, much nar- 

 rowed in front of eyes ; antennae long, as long as head and thorax 

 united, penultimate joints about as long as broad, brownish red with 

 basal joint and often apical joints clear red ; thorax subquadrate, scarcely 

 narrowed behind, without trace of central smooth line ; elytra evidently 

 longer and much duller than thorax ; hind body very dull, very 

 finely punctured or shagreened ; legs pitchy red, with tarsi lighter. 

 L. 3-1^ mm. 



Male with the seventh ventral segment of hind body feebly and rather 

 broadly sinuate at apex, sixth segment simple ; anterior tarsi very 

 strongly dilated in an oblong ; in the female the anterior tarsi are only 

 slightly dilated. 



In haystack refuse, &c. ; often in hotbeds ; rare ; Norwood, Netting Hill, Ealing, 

 Mickleham, Chobham, Shiere, Tonbridge ; The Holt, Farnham ; Harwich ; Heme 

 Bay; Glanvilles Wootton ; Litthngton, Sussex; Oxfordshire; Burton -on-Trent ; 

 South Shields, Durham, very rare, in May (Bold) ; Scotland, Solway district only, 

 very rare. This species is found rarely in France in damp moss in marshes. 



ZiZTKOCHARZS, Lacordaire. 



This genus, as at present limited, is, according to Dr. Sharp, charac- 

 terized by the small development of the supra-coxal process of the 

 prosternum, by the undilated front tarsi, and by the four basal joints of 

 the hind tarsi decreasing gradually in length, the fourth joint being 

 simple in structure, and interposed in the normal manner between the 

 third and fifth ; it is represented in the warmer regions of Asia and Africa, 

 and Dr. Sharp has lately described three or four species from Central 



