354 INSECTA. 



nearly globular or orbicular, and almost entirely received into a strongly 

 arched or vaulted thorax, resembling a hood. The antenna of some are 

 filiform, or diminished towards the end, and are either simple, flabelliform, 

 pectinated, or serrated ; those of others terminate suddenly by three larger 

 and much longer joints. The mandibles are short, thick, and dentated under 

 the point The palpi are very short and terminated by a larger and almost 

 ovoid joint, or like a reversed triangle. The tibia are not dentated, and the 

 spurs at the extremities are very small. There is but litttle variety in their 

 colours, which are always dark. They are very small. When touched they 

 counterfeit death, lower their heads, incline their antenna?, and contract their 

 feet; ift this apparent state of lethargy they remain for some time. Their 

 motions are generally slow, and those that are winged rarely take to flight to 

 escape. Their larvae are very noxious to us, and bear a great resemblance to 

 those of the Scarabaeides. Their body, frequently curved into an arc, is soft 

 and whitish ; the head and feet are brown and squamous. Their mandibles 

 are strong. With fragments of various substances, which they detach by 

 gnawing, they construct a shell in which they become nymphs. Other species 

 establish their domicil in the country, in old wood, and under stones ; their 

 habits are the same. 

 Such are the characters of the genus 



PTINUS, Linnceus. 



In some, the head and thorax, or the anterior half of the body is narrower 

 than the abdomen; the antennae are always terminated in the same manner, 

 simple or but slightly serrated, and at least almost as long as the body. 



The antennae of the true Ptini are inserted between the eyes, which are 

 protuberant or convex. Their body is oblong. 



They are generally found in houses, and chiefly in granaries and inhabited 

 places. Their larvae destroy our herbaria and desiccated specimens of animals. 

 The antenna? of the males are longer than those of the females, and in several 

 species, these latter are apterous. 



P. fur, Lin. One line and a half in length ; light brown ; antenna; as long 

 as the body; a pointed projection on each side of the thorax, and between 

 them two others, rounded and covered with a yellowish down; two trans- 

 verse, greyish bands on the elytra, formed by hairs. 



According to De Geer, it feeds on Flies and other dead Insects that fall in 

 its way. The larv are very injurious to herbaria and other collections of 

 natural history. 



The remaining subgenera are Gibbium, Ptilinus, &c. We may more 

 particularly notice the 



ANOBIUM, Pabriciut. 



The antennae are terminated by three larger or longer joints, but the two 

 penultimates are in the form of a reversed and elongated cone, and that of the 

 end is oval or nearly cylindrical ; they consist of eleven joints. 



Several species of this genus inhabit the interior of our houses, where, in 



