302 NATURAL ARRANGEMENT OF INSECTS. 



the short antennse much resemble those of Necydalis. 

 It is upon these considerations we ground our belief that 

 the Lepturidce form a natural circle of affinity; and that 

 the Dasycerce correspond, in their own group, to the 

 Sapei-dcB, whatever their respective ranks may be. There 

 is an objection, however, against this location of theDa.^v- 

 cercB, on the score of analogy, which, as few will antici- 

 pate, we shall ourselves mention. If the thorax of 

 insects be urged by some as representing the neck of 

 quadrupeds (a position we cannot admit), then it may 

 be said there is no analogy between the DasycertB and the 

 swan, the giraffe, and other long-necked Vertebrata, be- 

 cause these are rasorial types, and not the most aberrant. 

 But even admitting this, the long thorax of these insects 

 find their representatives in Brentus, among the Curcu- 

 I'wnidce, and even in a whole order of birds ; for the 

 Grallatores, or waders, have the longest necks, as an 

 order, of all others. However this may be, apparent 

 affinities must not be disturbed for the sake of such ab- 

 struse questions as these, which may be safely put aside 

 until natural affinities are better understood — at least, 

 among the Annulosa. 



(273.) Our fourth family, the Bostrichidre, although 

 of comparatively limited extent, is of a very marked 

 character ; and also, although possessing considerable 

 habitual resemblance, especially between the typical and 

 least aberrant forms, yet in particulars diifer much from 

 each other. The most typical structure is for the head 

 to be retractile within the thorax, which is large, sub- 

 globose, and forms a ventricose hood : the body itself is 

 cylindrical. In the most normal forms, the antenns 

 are geniculated and clavate at their extremity, the knob 

 being sometimes solid. In some genera, as in Hylurgus, 

 Hylastes, Scolytus, the head is prolonged, anteriorly, 

 into a truncated snout ; but in Tomicus, Platypus, &c. 

 it is obtuse; in the latter genus, the tarsi are very long 

 and slender, exceeding the tibiee in length. In the 

 closely allied genus Tesserocerus, the basal joint of the 

 antenna is continued, in the male, considerably beyond 



