HOW TO CATCH THE BANK-SIDE BEETLES. 107 



tlie yellow band across the elytra. Five species of this genus 

 inhabit England. 



The next fiimily is the Heteroceridse, which have the an- 

 tennae short, with a long flattened club of seven joints, as may 

 be seen by referring to Woodcut XII. Fig. c. The legs are 

 evidently adapted to burrowing in the earth. The body is 

 flat, broad, and covered with a thick silken down. They are 

 all frequenters of the water, and live in burrows which they 

 excavate in the damp soil. There is only one genus in this 

 family, containing seven species, of which our example is 

 Heterocerus Jlexuosus, which is drawn on Woodcut XII. Fig. 2. 

 This insect is yellowish or dun-coloured, very finely punctured, 

 and covered with down. Along the elytra is a wavy or flexuous 

 stripe composed of black spots irregularly disposed, a mark 

 from which the Beetle derives its specific name of flexiiosus. 

 Towards the shoulders there is a black spot, and another in 

 the middle towards the suture, the latter not being so dark 

 or well-defined as the former. 



It is a water-loving Beetle, and has been taken on the banks 

 of the Thames, near Gravesend. ]Mr. Stephens remarks, that 

 to obtain any of the Beetles of this family is a very easy pro- 

 cess. All that is required is, to go to the bank of some river 

 ■ — tidal rivers are the most frequented — and then to stamp and 

 trample on the muddy bank. The little Beetles are alarmed 

 at the turmoil overhead, and come out to see what is the 

 matter, when they can be captured. The insect-hunter must, 

 however, be very quick in seizing them, as they are back 

 again almost immediately, or hide themselves in crevices where 

 their tiny bodies cannot be seen. 



Like the preceding Beetles, the Parnidae are water-lovers, 

 and some of them prefer to live under the water rather than 

 above it. The head is sunk into the presternum, and the 

 anterior segments of the abdomen are fixed together and im- 

 movable. They are divided into two sub-families, the Par- 

 nina and Elmina, which may easily be distinguished by 

 examining the coxae of the front pair of legs. In the Parnina 

 they are cylindrical, and in the Elmina globular. One ex- 

 ample of this family is taken from the latter sub-family, and 



