428 RHYNCHOPHOEA. [Hypotlienemus. 



minute size, by the three-jointed funiculus of the antennae, which has 

 the first joint very large and .the second and third transverse and equal ; 

 the club is very large, compressed and oval, showing traces of sutures ; 

 the mentum is elongate and parallel-sided, and the apical declivity of 

 the elytra is rounded. 



H. eruditus, Westw. Very small, cylindrical, covered with line 

 white short erect hairs, black or pitchy-black, with the thorax reddish- 

 yellow or brownish-yellow ; thorax about as long as broad, convex and 

 plainly tuberculate in front, with the sides rounded and gradually nar- 

 rowed at apex, subparallel behind ; elytra more than twice as long as 

 thorax, with punctured stria?, interstices finely rugose set with rows of 

 very distinct white setse ; antennae and legs clear yellow or reddish- 

 yellow. L. f-f mm. 



In the cover of an old book ; found in some numbers by Professor Westwood j 

 probably an introduced species. 



CRYPHAX.US, Erichson. 



The members of this genus are very small and obscure dark-coloured 

 insects and much resemble at first sight small species of Cis ; they 

 have been divided by Thomson and others into several separate genera ; 

 in its wide sense the genus contains about two dozen species which are 

 very widely distributed, representatives occurring in Europe, North and 

 South America, Cuba, Guadeloupe, Madagascar, Australia, &c. ; the 

 following are their chief characters: Eyes entire or slightly emarginate ; 

 antennae with sutures of the club distinctly marked, the club itself 

 being somewhat variable in shape ; thorax tuberculate in front, margined 

 at base ; scutellum small, punctiform ; elytra not strongly reflexed and 

 not excavate at apex, clothed with scale-like pubescence and sometimes 

 in addition with fine raised hairs ; about twelve species are found in 

 Europe and six have been recorded as British ; they attack various 

 trees (willow, lime, beech, fir, &c.) and are usually considered as very 

 rare ; they appear, however, to have been found on several occasions in 

 great abundance where they have occurred, and must probably be 

 regarded as very local and as often passed over owing to their obscure 

 appearance and habits ; their life history has been described by 

 Nordlinger (Nachtr. z. Ratz. Forst. p. 29), and by Dr. Algernon 

 Chapman (Ent. Monthly Mag. v. 1868, pp. 198-9) ; Eichhoff has also 

 described the life history of C. picea and C. abietu and figured their 

 workings (Die Europaischen Borken Kafer, pp. 172 et seqq.) ; as very 

 little is generally known of the habits of these beetles, and as an 

 account of them may perhaps lead to further discoveries of their habitats, 

 I have thought it advisable to quote Dr. Chapman's remarks at length. 

 '' On some aspens growing near Abergavenny I have detected certain 

 beetles, which are interesting not only on account of their rarity, but 

 also on account of their habits. Last spring (1868) I observed that 



