276 Winter Insects of Eastern JVeiv York. [May, 



bear some resemblace to the chaff-scale or glume of a small ker- 

 nel of grain; the apex is armed with a straight thorn-like spine 

 which is directed backwards and downwards; the inner margin 

 is studded with a row of small teeth, which are longer and more 

 distinct towards the apex of the pseud-elytron; these teeth are in- 

 clined backwards, and at their points they are strongly curved in 

 the same direction; both the outer and inner margins are minutely 

 ciliated with short hairs. The under wings are represented on 

 each side by a curved bristle which lies under the pseud-elytron 

 and within its concavity; it scarcely exceeds the pseud-elytron in 

 length, is slightly dilated at its base, curves inwards and down- 

 w^ards, is almost hooked at its tip, and gives off an occasional short 

 hair. In the female the wings are entirely wanting, the only ves- 

 tiges of them being two minute scales occupying the place of the 

 upper pair: these scales are circular and scarcely the hundredth 

 part of an inch in diameter in B. nivoriundus, slightly elongated 

 and a third smaller in B. brvmalis; they are convex above and 

 concave beneath, and attached to the thorax by a short broad pe- 

 dicel; their edges are ciliated with minute hairs; their upper sur- 

 face is also thickly set with very short, erect hairs, and is crossed 

 by an elevated rib or slight keel. Legs long, particularly the 

 posterior pair, the length of which exceeds that of the body; their 

 several joints cylindric and densely clothed with short minute hairs; 

 the first tarsal joint half as long as the tibia, the four remaining 

 joints successively shorter, terminated by two small, slender, sim- 

 ple hooks. Jibdomen oval, depressed when exsiccated, the seg- 

 ments distinctly marked by strongly impressed transverse lines, 

 and clothed with fine appressed hairs: in the males it is nearly 

 cylindrical, but little broader than the head, truncated as it were 

 at its apex and turned upwards; tip of the last segment furnished 

 with two stout shar}> pointed hooks, each with an acute tooth in 

 the middle of its inner edge, and pilose along its outer edge; these 

 hooks are susceptible of being extended in a line with the body, 

 but are commonly strongly recurved upon the back, shutting down 

 upon and grasping a small scutel-like process which projects up- 

 wards at the base of this segment. They are thus recurved in co- 

 ition, the male organ being exseited from between their bases. 

 Ovipositor robust, about half as long as the abdomen of the female, 

 projecting backwards in a line with the body, composed of a three- 

 jointed semicylindrical piece above, and two ligulate valves be- 

 low; the latter have their lower edges held in contact, thus form- 

 ing a little gutter, and on the under-side towards their tips they 

 are finely serrated; of the upper piece, the middle joint is much 

 the longest, and is lined beneath on its concave side with a mem- 

 brane which becomes distended with fluid when the abdomen is 

 pressed upon; the short terminal joint is susceptible of being in- 



