226 Dr. Sharp^s Revision of the 



little narrower than tlie elytra, its breadth fully half as 

 great again as its length, about as wide at the anterior as 

 at the posterior angles, finely and indistinctly punctured, 

 sometimes with an indistinct impression in front of the 

 scutellum, sometimes with an obscure channel, and often 

 without either. The elytra are blackish, or pitchy- 

 black, rather short, about one-third longer than the 

 thorax, finely and closely punctured, with a fine and mo- 

 derately close pubescence. The abdomen is black and 

 shining, often a little broader towards the apex, its pubes- 

 cence pretty distinct, segments two to four finely and 

 rather sparingly punctured, five and six nearly impunc- 

 tate. Legs dirty testaceous. 



In the male, the hind margin of the dorsal plate of the 

 seventh abdominal segment is truncate, and obscurely 

 emarginate; the under plate of the same segment is 

 also more produced than in the female, its apex less flat- 

 tened, and more round. 



Abundant all over the country in vegetable refuse, 

 hayricks, outhouses, &c. 



Obs. — I see no sufficient reason for considering this 

 species as Stephens's Aleochara amicula ; his description 

 may, or may not, apply to H. sericea. His descriptions 

 (111. V. 131) of species 66-72 would each apply about 

 equally well to H. sericea, and each is about equally 

 vague and uncharacteristic. 



117. Homalota subtilis. 



Nigra, hand nitida, confertim subtiliter punctata, evi- 

 denter pubescens, elytris fuscis, pedibus fusco-testaceis ; 

 thorace transverse, aequali; abdomine supra segmentis 

 2-4 sat parce punctatis, 5° et 6° fere laevigatis. Long, 

 f lin. 



H. subtilis, Scriba, Berl. Ent. Zeit. 1866, p. 128. 



Allied to H. sericea, but distinguished by its denser 

 punctuation and pubescence, its longer elytra, and the 

 thinner joints (especially two to six) of the antennae. The 

 antennae are moderately stout, a little thickened towards 

 the apex, black ; joint three slightly shorter than two, 

 four nearly quadrate, five to ten each slightly broader 

 than its predecessor, the first of them slightly, the last 

 distinctly transverse; eleventh joint rather stout, about 

 as long as the two preceding. The head is a little 



