772 



CERAPTERUS CERATONIA. 



have confounded a very distinct group (which we 

 have named Mcgaspilm} with Ceraphron, and in 

 which the antennae are eleven-jointed, and the stigma 

 of the upper wings very large. The species are very 

 numerous. One of them, described by Mr. Curtis 

 under the name of Ccrnphron Carpentcri, is distin- 

 guished by the beautiful knotted antennae of the 

 males. It was reared by Thomas Carpenter, Esq., 

 from female Aphides. 



CERAPTERUS (Swederus). A very curious 

 genus of coleopterous insects, belonging to the family 

 PaussidcE, and composed of two or three exotic 

 species, of whose habits we possess no information. 

 The name of the genus is indicative of the singular 

 structure of the antennae, which are very broad, each 

 being nearly half the size of the entire body, and 

 composed often short flat joints. The body is small 

 and flattened ; the legs are very broad and retractile. 

 The species are inhabitants of the East Indies and 

 New Holland. Dr. Horsfield has also brought 

 another supposed species from Java, which is depo- 

 sited in the fine collection of insects at the East 

 India House. 



CERAPUS (Say). A genus of crustaceous in- 

 sects, belonging to the order Amphipoda, and pro- 

 bably forming the type of a distinct family, having 

 the antennae very long and thick, the two pair being 

 of nearly equal size, the upper four-jointed, and the 

 inferior or lateral pair composed of five joints ; the 

 body is long, linear, and semi-cylindrical, formed of 

 twelve segments, the last of which is armed with a 

 small forked appendage on each side ; there are 

 seven pairs of legs, of which the anterior pair is very 

 small, but the second pair, although short, are termi- 

 nated by a broad triangular claw, with a bi-articulate 

 finger. The genus at present consists of a single 

 species, the Cerapus tnbularis, described by the late 

 Thomas Say in the Journal of the Academy of 

 Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, vol. i. This curious 

 animal, about half an inch long, resides in a small 

 cylindric tube, in the same manner as the caddice 

 worms, showing only the head, antennae, and four 

 anterior legs. It is found abundantly in the ocean 

 near Egg Arbour, on the coast of the United States, 

 in the midst of Serlularice, upon which it seems prin- 

 cipally to feed. 



CERASSUS (Jussieu). A genus of well known 

 timber and fruit trees, found wild in many parts of 

 the globe. Linnaean class and order Icosandria Mo- 

 nogynia; natural order Rosacece. This genus contains 

 all the various fruits called cherries, as w.ell as some 

 other plants which inhabit, and to common observers, 

 do not appear to belong to them, namely, the com- 

 mon and Portugal laurels, all of which will be treated 

 of under their proper names. 



CERASTIUM (Linnaeus), is a numerous genus of 

 European weeds, commonly called mouse-ear chick- 

 weed. Some of them are pretty ; but, in general, 

 they are neglected weeds, and only interesting to the 

 scientific botanists. They belong to the natural 

 order Can/ophyllece. 



CERASTUS (the Horned Viper), so called from 

 having a pointed horn, or horny scale over each 

 eye standing up from the eyelid. It is of a greyish 

 colour, and found chiefly in the sandy places of 

 Africa. See VIPER. 



CERATINA (Latreille). A genus of small but 

 elegant .hymenopterous insects, belonging to the 

 family Apidcc, and placed by Latreille in his sub- 



family Dasygastrcs, or woolly-bellied bees, of which 

 the leaf-cutter bees (Megachile) are the types. The 

 maxillary palpi are, however, composed of six joints ; 

 the wings have three complete cubical cells ; the body 



long and narrow ; the antennae are thickened 

 towards the tip ; and the jaws have three terminal 

 teeth. The abdomen, likewise, is destitute of that 

 ventral clothing of down which is characteristic of 

 the true Dasygastres, being in fact the organs whereby 

 their supplies of pollen are carried to their nests. 

 Hence M. St. Fargeau considers that this genus 

 (being supposed to be thus destitute of pollinigerous 

 organs) is necessarily a parasitic bee, depositing its 

 eggs in the nests of other bees already stored with 

 food. M. Maximilian Spinola, in his interesting 

 account of this insect, published in the tenth volume 

 of the " Annales du Musee, " considered the small 

 channels along the head to be organs supplying the 

 place of the real pollinigerous organs, having ob- 

 served a small portion of pollen paste upon this part 

 of the head. M. St. Fargeau, however, considers 

 that this was but an accidental occurrence, having 

 observed a similar circumstance in other insects, 

 Lepturce, Erutalcs, and Sesice, which certainly are 

 not pollinigerous ; and indeed he affirms that the 

 CeratiruE deposit their eggs in the nests of small 

 species of Qsmite or Heriadcs (two genera of woolly- 

 bellied bees) ; and if the observation of M. Spinola, 

 that the Ceratinee are noticed from time to time 

 entering the hollow stems of plants, be correct, he 

 considers that it is owing to the fact, that the real 

 pollinigerous bees above mentioned had fixed upon 

 those places for their nests, and that the Ceratinee 

 were about to deposit their own eggs in the already 

 provided nest. Spinola, however, mentions other 

 circumstances which seem to militate against M. St. 

 Fargeau's opinion. Thus he states, that in breaking 

 off the bramble branch into a hole, in which he had 

 observed a female Ceratinee enter, he found that it 

 was perforated, and that the insect was in the very 

 act of excavating its burrow in the pith of the branch, 

 where it constructs a canal a foot long, and one line, 

 or sometimes more, in diameter, with from eight to 

 twelve cells, separated from each other by partitions 

 of particles of pith glued together, each of which 

 contained a supply of pollen balls kneaded with 

 honey. As the Ceratinee is stated to work only in 

 the pith, the mandibles hot being fitted for working 

 in the hard wood, Spinola found instances in which 

 the bee had been unable to finish her burrow in the 

 branch of a wild rose, the pith not being of sufficient 

 diameter. 



There are not more than half a dozen species 

 known of this interesting genus, one of which, 

 Ccratina ccerulea, Villars ; cyanca, Ivirby ; albilabris, 

 Latreille), is an inhabitant of this country, but very 

 rare, two Bother species are European, and three 

 South American. 



CERATONIA (Linnaeus), is the carob tree of 

 the Levant ; Linnaean class and order Polygamia 

 Dicecia : natural order Leguminosce; generic charac- 

 ter : flowers polygamous ; calyx in five parts ; 

 stamens, filaments long ; anthers large and double ; 

 stigma sitting and headed ; pod quadrangular, un- 

 equal in breadth, containing a mealy pulp. The old 

 trivial name of this fruit is called St. John's bread, it 

 being an article of diet in countries where it grows 

 naturally ; indeed, it is cultivated for economical pur- 

 poses. In this country it is kept in general green- 



