ORDER COLEOPTERA. 173 



crooked, and the interior part is furnished with hairs or 

 small spines. The ligula is enchased in an emargination of 

 the mentum. The two anterior feet are inserted on the sides 

 of a compressed sternum, and borne on a large rotula. The 

 posterior two have a very strong trochanter at their origin. 

 The first articulation is large, and appears to be confounded 

 with the postpectus, and has the form of a curvilinear 

 triangle, with the external side excavated. 



These insects give chase to others, and devour them. 

 Many of them have no wings under their elytra. The 

 anterior tarsi of most part of the males are dilated or en- 

 larged. 



The larvae of this family are also extremely carnivorous. 

 They have in general a cylindrical, elongated body, com- 

 posed of twelve rings. The head, which is not comprised in 

 this number, is large, scaly, armed with two powerful man- 

 dibles cvu'ved at their points, and presents two short and 

 conical antennge, two jaws divided into two branches (one 

 of W'hich is formed by a palpus), a ligula bearing two palpi, 

 shorter than the preceding, and six small simple eyes on each 

 side. The first ring is covered by a scaly plate ; the others 

 are soft, or but little closed. The first three have each a pair 

 of feet, the extremity of which is curved in front. 



These larvae differ according to the genera. Those of the 

 cincindelae, for example, have the upper part of the head sunk 

 in the centre in a basket-form, while its lower part is gib- 

 bous. They have on each side two small simple eggs, much 

 more bulky and similar to those of the lycosae, or wolf-spiders. 

 The upper plate of the first segment is large, and in the form 

 of a semi-circular buckler. The eighth ring has on the back 

 two mammellae with crotchets. The last has no remarkable 

 appendages. 



In the other larvae of this family which are known to us, 



