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ATTALIA AUCHENIA. 



centre of each wing-case ; the antennae have the last 

 joint long, especially in the males, in which it equals 

 the entire length of the remainder of these organs. 

 The maxillary palpi are filiform, the second and 

 fourth joints being the longest. These insects are 

 sufficiently common in old houses, larders, &c., at- 

 tacking the skins of preserved animals, old books, 

 paper and wood. The larvae is particularly destruc- 

 tive to neglected zoological collections. It is fur- 

 nished with brushes of hair, which it possesses the 

 power of expanding, thus resembling the Anthrcni, 

 to which it is otherwise nearly allied. 



ATT AL I A ( Humboldt). A genus containing seven 

 species of Brazilian palms. Linnaean class and order, 

 Monaecia Monadelphia; natural order, Palnue. Gene- 

 ric character : flowers male and female separate, 

 sitting, on one side ; spadix branched, rising from the 

 root ; spatha one-leaved ; calyx of three small sepals ; 

 corolla of three fleshy petals ; stamens inserted on the 

 base of the pistils ; styles three ; drupe fibrous, three- 

 celled, each one seeded, shell woody, furrowed, three 

 holes at the base,, kernel solid. These palms are 

 described as most magnificent in form and height. 



ATTELABIDES (Schoenherr.) A sub-family 

 of insects belonging to the Coleoptera tetramtra and 

 family Curcidionidce, having for its type the genus 

 Attefabiu of Linnaeus. This genus, it is to be ob- 

 served, was one of the most heterogeneous of all the 

 Linnaean groups, being a receptacle for all beetles 

 with the head narrowed behind into a neck, and 

 antennae thickened. As now restricted, and raised 

 to the rank of a sub-family, it comprises those 

 species of weevils which have their antennae not 

 elbowed in the middle, the head narrowed and 

 lengthened behind the eyes, and the elytra oblong- 

 ovate. The chief genera included in it are Apo- 

 derus, Attelabus and Rhynchitis. The genus Apoderus 

 (Olivier) is a pretty group of coleopterous insects, 

 having the rostrum short and thick, and the head 

 lengthened behind the eyes into a long neck. In some 

 of the exotic species, especially those brought from 

 Nepaul by General Hardwickc, this neck is nearly 

 half the length of the body. The only ascertained 

 British species, is the Attelabus avellance of Linnaeus, 



Fig. 1, Attelabus curculionides. Fig. 2, Apoderus avellanac. 

 Fig. 3, Rhynchites cavifrons. 



which is red with a black head ; it is about a quarter of 

 an inch long, and is found upon the hazel and 

 oak abundantly. The genus Attelabus comprises 

 only one British species, the A. curculionidce of 

 Linnaeus. It is distinguished from Apoderus by its 

 antennae being eleven instead of twelve jointed, and 

 by its head not inserted into the thorax by means 

 of a distinct neck. It is of a black colour, with the 



thorax and elytra bright-red ; is about one-sixth or 

 one-fourth of an inch long, and is very common on 

 the nut and oak. The genus Rhynchites of Herbst, 

 comprises some of the most beautiful species of 

 weevils found in this country. Amongst these the 

 Curculio auratus of Scopoli (hitherto confounded by 

 all British entomologists with the Curculio Bacchus of 

 Linnaeus) is the most splendid as well as the rarest. 

 The genus is distinguished by its dilated rostrum, 

 eleven jointed antennae, and head not produced into 

 a neck. There are nearly twenty British species. 

 Schoenherr enumerates forty-seven species. They 

 are found upon various vegetables and trees. Our 

 figure 3 represents the Rhynchites cavifrons of Chevro- 

 lat (Schon. Curcul. i. p. 226.), a species allied to Rh. 

 pubescens, which we here introduce for the first time 

 as a native species. 



ATYPID J2. A family ofArac/inida Demerosomata 

 or spiders, having four pulmonary sacs, and four 

 spiracles ; the palpi are inserted upon a lateral 

 and basal dilatation of the maxillae, and are five- 

 jointed, the last joint being long, and pointed at the 

 tip in both sexes : the males have no strong spur at 

 the extremity of the anterior shanks. This family 

 comprises two genera only, Atypiis ( Latreille, Olctera 

 Walckenaer), and Eriodon (Latreille, Missulena 

 Walckenaer). In the former the jaws are very large, 

 the eyes on each side of the head are united together, 

 whilst in the latter they are placed widely apart. 

 The Atypus sidzcri has been taken by Dr. Leach, 

 near Exeter and London. It burrows 

 in shelving turfy ground, forming a cy- 

 lindric cell about seven or eight inches 

 deep, at the bottom of which it spins 

 a lining of white silk, and to which 

 the eggs, enclosed in a similar silken 

 case, are attached. The Eriodon 

 occatorius is an inhabitant of New 

 Atypus sulzeri. Holland. 



AUCUBA (Linnaeus). A Japanese shrub of great 

 beauty. - Linnaean class and order, Moncecia Tetran- 

 dria ; natural order, Rhamnece. Generic character : 

 flowers monoecious ; calyx truncated, persisting, im- 

 perfectly four-toothed ; corolla of four oval spreading 

 petals ; disk, round the germen (in the male flowers 

 encircling the base of the style), flat, the middle 

 marked with a hole ; stamens inserted in the recep- 

 tacle, alternately with the petals ; filaments thick, 

 very short ; anthers oval, double, with four furrows ; 

 style short, persisting; stigma headed; berry many- 

 seeded. This fine shrub was introduced from Japan 

 in 1 783, and was treated first as a stove, and after- 

 wards as a conservatory plant, for many years. It 

 has now become one of our hardiest and commonest 

 shrubs in gardens, and withstands the rigour of our 

 winters, even better than the common laurel. The 

 flowers are inconspicuous ; but its yellow spotted 

 leaves make up for this deficiency, and have gained for 

 it the name of " golden laurel." 

 * AUCHENIA (Marsham). A genus of coleop- 

 terous insects, belonging to the division Tetramcra, 

 and family GalcrucidcE. It has been much restricted 

 by recent authors ; and Mr. Stephens places in it 

 only one species, the Chrysoinela, 4-maculala, a 

 pretty insect, which we have met with in marshy 

 places near London. It is of an ochreous colour, with 

 four black spots on the elytra, and is distinguished 

 from the Adimoma;, with which Mr. Curtis unites it, by 

 the antennae, having the third joint twice as long as 



