232 



ATEUCHUS ATHERINA. 



of no more use. In this way they spend the heat of 

 the dav, Unless an enemy appears, in which case they 

 gather to thefn their lumbering legs with all possible 

 expedition, and make for the trees as fast as ever 

 they can, swinging and bounding from branch to 

 branch with an alacrity which forms a striking 

 contrast with their indolence and relaxation while 

 basking in the sun. 



The Cliuva. The most remarkable character of 

 this species is a border of white hair round the face, 

 from which it gets the name of marginatus, or " bor- 

 dered." The hair on the rest of the body is black. 

 This species inhabits further into the interior of the 

 continent than those already mentioned ; but still it 

 is found only in the woods. 



The Spider Monkey appears to have obtained its 

 name from the length, slenderness, and pliancy of its 

 limbs, though in these respects it does not appear to 

 differ much from the rest of the genus. Indeed, all 

 the species are so similar in their habits, that the only 

 differences are those of colour. The covering of 

 this species is yellowish grey, much softer and ap- 

 proaching nearer to the texture of fur than that of the 

 others ; but it has long black hair above the eyes. 



The Black-handed Coaita has the back part of the 

 head, a patch on the outside of each knee, and the 

 extremities of all the limbs, black or dark brown. 

 The rest of the body is of a uniform grey colour. 



The Miriki has a mere rudiment of a thumb on 

 the fore-paws, generally without any nail, though 

 sometimes with a rudimental one ; but both nail and 

 thumb are so exceedingly small that they can answer 

 no very efficient purpose, and they do not in any 

 way act against the fingers. The colours of this 

 species are rather more diversified than those of any 

 of the others. The face is flesh colour, but spotted 

 over with grey ; the buttocks and basal part of the 

 tail are rusty yellow, and the rest of the body is 

 yellowish grey. This species has been found only 

 in Brazil. 



The Chamuk has projecting thumbs on the fore- 

 paws, but they are very small and short, consisting 

 only of one little paw, and without any nail. The 

 colour is nearly uniformly black. This is also de- 

 scribed as -being a Brazilian species, and not found 

 in the countries much further to the west. 



It has sometimes been proposed to form the two 

 species last mentioned into a separate genus, on ac- 

 count of their having rudimental thumbs ; and, cer- 

 tainly, small and inefficient as these members are, 

 these species are not strictly four-fingered ; but still 

 the foundation is a very narrow one on which to 

 institute a genus. 



The females of all the species have two pectoral 

 mammae and the young support themselves by cling- 

 ing with their long and spider-like limbs, thus leaving 

 the mother the free use of hers ; and they cling with 

 security while she bounds and swings. It is rather 

 curious that this genus, which are among the worst 

 walkers of all the footed mammalia, not only on two 

 legs but on all fours, are the only ones that have the 

 biceps muscle of the thigh the same as in man. 



ATEUCHUS (WeberX A genus of coleopte- 

 rous insects belonging to the family Scarabaeidce, hav- 

 ing for its type the sacred beetle of the Egyptians, 

 and comprising several distinct subgenera. Mr. 

 MacLeay, in his Horce Entomologies, has, however, 

 considered that the name of Scarabaeus having been 

 originally employed to designate these sacred insects, 

 ought to be retained for the genus, whilst to the sub- 



genus containing the true sacred beetles he has restored 

 the original term of 'H\ioKavQapos t Heliocantharus, or 

 beetle of the sun. This system of nomenclature we 

 propose to adopt, and shall therefore detail the econo- 

 my of the insect under these heads, mentioning it 

 in this place only because continental naturalists em- 

 ploy the nomenclature of Fabricius who adopted that 

 of Weber. 



ATHALIA (Leach). A genus of hymenopte- 

 rous insects belonging to the family of the Sate/Set 

 (Tenthredinidce). The wings have two marginal and 

 four submarginal cells; the antennae are described by 

 Dr. Leach to be ten-jointed, but in reality there are 

 eleven articulations, the three terminal ones forming 

 amass: the third joint is the longest. The perfect 

 insects are of small size, inhabit flowers, an dare fond of 

 resting upon the young stemsof plants; they are slow 

 in their motions, and instead of flying away when 

 approached, they fold their antennae beneath the body 

 and drop from the twigs. Their colours are for the 

 most part black and buff, or yellow. There are five 

 British species, the Tenthredo rosae of Linnaeus being 

 the type. 



ATHAMANTA (Linnaeus). A genus of thirteen 

 species, chiefly perennial herbs, natives of Europe. 

 Linnasan class and order, Pentandria Digynia ; na- 

 tural order, UmbellifercB. Generic character : invo- 

 lucrum often of many leaves ; fruit oval, solid, rough, 

 or woolly, five-ribbed. 



ATHANASIA (Linnaeus). A family containing 

 seventeen species of evergreen shrubs, introduced 

 from the south of Africa. Linnrcan class and order, 

 Syngenesia superfluu ; natural order, Composite^. 

 Tne genus is arranged in two sections, viz., with 

 entire and with divided leaves. The flowers are 

 yellow, and very lasting. 



ATHERICERA (Latreille). One of the primary 

 divisions of the dipterous order of insects, comprising 

 the Liunaean genera Conops CEstrus, and the majority 

 of the genus Musca, or the modern families Conopidte, 

 CEstridte, Syrphidee, and Muscidce. The insects com- 

 posing these families have the mouth enclosed in a 

 cavity ; the antennae have only two or three joints, 

 the last of which is furnished with a bristle, and the 

 rostrum, haustellum or proboscis is membranous, long, 

 and elbowed in the middle, with two fleshy lips at the 

 extremity, and bearing two palpi behind the angle. 

 It is furnished with two or four instruments for piercing 

 the food. The larvae have the body very soft and 

 fleshy, contractile, annulated, and pointed towards the 

 head, which is of a variable figure, and furnished with 

 one or two hooks, accompanied by fleshy mamillae, 

 and probably in all by a sort of tongue, destined to 

 receive the fluid matter serving for the nutrition of 

 the insect. These larvae do not cast their skin, nor 

 undergo the usual moultings of larvae : indeed this is 

 carried so far, that the skin of the grub, at the period 

 of the insect's assuming the pupa state, hardens, be 

 comes shorter, and serves as a covering for the 

 enclosed pupa ; the pointed front increases in size 

 until the whole assumes an oval form, whence the 

 pnpse of these insects have been compared by the 

 early French naturalists to " une boule allongee." 

 The families may be thus arranged : 



1. Mouth with four piercers . . Fam 1. Syi-phidae. 



2. Mouth with two piercers : 



1. rostrum obsolete . . . Fam. 2. OEstridee. 



2. rostrum exsertedand long Fam. S.Conopidce. 



3. rostrum retractile and short Fam. 4 Muscidce. 

 ATHERINA Atherine. A genu? of spinous- 



