72 COMMON BRITISH INSECTS. 



teristic in arranging these insects. As a rule the 

 Homalidae have flattened bodies, and long slender 

 antennae, and delight in damp places, whether wetted 

 by fresh or salt water ; so that they can be found 

 under heaps of decaying sea-weeds on the coasts, and 

 under stones on the banks of ponds. Some of them 

 may be found under bark, and some in flowers ; so 

 that they have a very wide range of locality. 



OUR typical example of the family is shown in the 

 accompanying woodcut, its name being Homalium 

 florale. In this genus the body is rather 

 oval and flattened. The antennae are 

 short and hairy, becoming thicker at the 

 tips. The thorax is short, somewhat 

 heart-shaped, and narrowed behind. 

 The four basal joints of the tarsi are 

 short. 



The species which serves as our 

 example of the typical genus is greyish- 



Homalium florale. black and sh j n ; ng> the sur f ace being 



thickly punctured, and the punctures inclined to form 

 striae on the elytra. The legs are reddish, and the 

 antennae and palpi black. This is one of the flower- 

 loving species, being found in the spring time fre- 

 quenting the flowers of the hawthorn and sallows. It 

 is distributed over England generally, but does not 

 seem to be plentiful in any particular locality. 

 Twenty British species of this genus are known. 



