ENTOMOLOGICAL CABINET. 



DOLICHOPUS NIGRICORNIS. Meigan, 



Shining brassy green : head small : antenna? patel- 

 liform and black, half the length of the head ; the 

 third joint trigonal, and bearing a seta or hair on its 

 hinder part : eyes brown, widely divided in the fe- 

 males, and with three stemmata or little eyes placed 

 on the summit of the head : thorax convex, brassy 

 green, with numerous long and recurved black and 

 strong hairs : wings irredescent, tawny at their base, 

 the nervures black : body brassy green to blue and 

 copper colour, the sides when held in a certain light 

 of a silver grey : legs tawny, the tarsi black. 



Length of the body 3£ lines, expansion of the 

 wings 6 lines. 



Inhabits ponds and pools of water, in woods and 

 on commons, during the summer months. 



The Dolichopidcs are as interesting to the entomo- 

 logist as they are desirable to those who collect ob- 

 jects for the microscope. And we beg to observe that 

 they may be found in those small pools left by rains 

 or formed by springs, and where long grass and 

 rushes grow : they do not fly far but merely skim the 

 surface, for about a foot in height, and are fond of 

 alighting suddenly on the surface of the water. Be- 

 ing in general small they easily elude pursuit ; they 

 are evidently very local, but well deserving attention. 

 They are best collected by the forceps and pinned at 

 once. The species approach very near each other. 

 17-5 



