Genera Bledius, Heterocerus, and Dyschirius. 31 



but they are closely connected by their habits, living together 

 as they do on the shores of fresh and salt waters, where they 

 excavate tunnels and galleries, which betray their presence on 

 the surface by small heaps of earth, like diminutive mole-hills. 

 Besides, Dijschirii and their larvse are specially equipped for 

 hunting the others. 



The species of Bledius and Heterocerus are generally not seen 

 about in the daytime, but leave their habitations on warm sum- 

 mer evenings, after sunset, flying in numbers near the surface. 

 Those few which are observed in the daytime are only such as 

 have been pressed out of the soft ground by footsteps, and 

 hurry away for safety. They may, in fact, be collected in this 

 manner; but very many are thus squeezed to death, and it is 

 better to dig them out. The small heaps indicating their 

 dwelling-places are easily observed, because, consisting as they 

 do of loose particles of earth, they dry soon and distinguish 

 themselves by a lighter colour from the moist ground. The 

 different species of Di/schirius, on the contrary, are constantly 

 in motion, both in their galleries and out of them, hunting their 

 prey, love to bask in the sun, and exhibit upon the whole the 

 same wild, restless, insatiably rapacious nature as the shrew- 

 mouse and the mole, which they may be said to represent 

 amongst Carabidse. 



I. 



" Oxytelini genuini,'^ Er. (Gen. et Spec. Staphylinorum, 30) 

 forms a well-defined small group of Oxytelini, easily distin- 

 guished by triarticulate tarsi ; but the views hitherto enter- 

 tained of the mutual relationships of the genera belonging to 

 this group can scarcely bear a thorough sifting. Thus the 

 existence of two rows of fossorial spines on the anterior tibiae of 

 Bledius is erroneously regarded as the most characteristic pecu- 

 liarity of that genus (which is more specially than any other 

 constructed for digging) ; for Oxytelus and Platijstethus, when 

 carefully inspected, exhibit the same structure. On the other 

 hand, it seems to have been overlooked that Bledius possesses 

 another character distinctive of its peculiar fossorial type — viz. 

 that the basal joint of the antennse can be received into a groove 

 situated close in front of the eyes, which therefore in Bledius 

 are flatter than in the other genera. Nor is Bledius properly 

 placed near Oxytelus and Platystethus ; for that genus really 

 represents the type of the Carpalimi modified for tunnelling-pur- 

 poses. A close inspection will show that the entire group of 

 Oxytelini genuini, Er., naturally divides itself into two sub- 

 groups principally distinguished by the structure of the eyes 



