SHORT-WINGED SCAVENaER-BEETLES. 67 



by their very short wing-cases, which usually cover less than half of the 

 abdomen. The insects of some other families, as we have seen, have 

 their elytra shortened or truncated at the end, but in these they always 

 cover more than half of the abdomen, and usually leave only the tip 

 exposed. The Staphylini have narrow, elongated and somewhat flat- 

 tened bodies. The antennae are rather short, sometimes of equal thick- 

 ness throughout, but usually a little larger at the end, and composed of 

 short, roundish or lenticular joints. The mandibles are long, sharp 

 and sickle-shaped, and usually cross each other at the tip when at rest. 

 The abdomen often terminates in two little flnger-like bristly processes, 

 between which is a third and shorter one. The anterior tarsi of the 

 males are often dilated. They are also distinguished by the great 

 length of the coxio or basal joints of their anterior legs. They usually 

 turn up the end of their long flexible abdomen whilst running, and also 

 use it in packing their wings under their short wing-covers. These in- 

 sects are generally found on the ground, under stones and amongst 

 rubbish. They usually subsist upon decomposing matter, both animal 

 and vegetable, but mostly the latter. They constitute an extensive 

 army of useful scavengers, second in number only to the Necrophaga or 

 club-horned scavengers, of which we have just been treating. But some 

 of the larger species are known to be eminently predaceous, especially 

 in the larva state, voraciously seizing whatever insects come in their 

 way, not even sparing their own species, and some of the small species 

 found on flowers have been observed to have similarly carnivorous 

 tastes. Indeed, their long, sharp, sickle-shaped mandibles, and the 

 large protuberant eyes of a portion of them, would seem to indicate a 

 more generally carnivorous habit than has generally been attributed to 

 them. Others have been found in ants' nests, and are supposed to be 

 ])arasitic ; and a species of Aleochara is an internal parasite, having 

 been reared from the pupie of Anthomyia hrassicw. (Am. Ent. 11, 370.) 

 The larvic, with the exception of the absence of wings, bear a general 

 resemblance to the perfect insects, both in structure and habits, and 

 are found in the same situations. 



The tribe is composed of two families, the long bodied species or 

 Staphylinidai, and the minute short bodied species, which constitute the 

 family of Pselaphidas. 



Family XXIII. STAPHYLINID^. 



The original meaning and application of the generic term Staphylinus 

 are not noW known with certainty, but it was applied by Linnseus to 

 the tribe of short-winged Coleoptera. The leading characters of this 

 family have been given in treating of the tribe to which it belongs, and 

 of which it constitutes much the larger part. We will here define the 



