Mr. Westwood on the Genus Staphyl'mus. 509 



P. 60. The last line but one ought to be inserted between the 

 two preceding ; as it stands at present the sense is unintelligible. 



P. 61. line 3. The insect of which De Geer has figured the 

 Larva and Pupa in loc. cit. is Phosphiiga atrata, and not Silpha 

 obscura, as I had supposed. The thorax of the former insect is 

 large and dilated in front, covering the head like a shield ; and 

 we see in De Geer's figure how admirably this forntiation is typi- 

 fied in its Larva, of which I have given the description at p. 61. 



The Larva of Thanatophilus rugosus, figured by the same 

 author (v. 7. pi. 44), differs considerably from that of Phosphiiga 

 atrata^ its head being porrected, the segments of the body more 

 serrated, and particularly in the tail being destitute of any kind 

 of appendage. From these and the preceding remarks, it will be 

 seen that there is reason to consider the above mentioned pair of 

 jointed anal processes and the caudal tube, as characters peculiar to 

 the Larva of the Brachelytra ; which processes, be it remem- 

 bered, we also find reproduced in, and possessed, (I believe ex- 

 clusively), by, the perfect Insects of that group in both sexes. 

 (See Latreille, Fam. Nat. p. 244.) 



SchaeflFer in his valuable Abhandlungen von Insecten, v. 3, has 

 given several very excellent figures of the Larvae of the true 

 Silphidee, amongst which are two of the Larva of Phosph. atrafa, 

 in which the head is represented protruded in a manner similar to 

 De Geer's figure of the Larva of Thanatophilus rugosus, hence I 

 think we may conclude that De Geer's figure of the Larva of 

 Phosph. atrata was taken from a dead specimen, in which the head 

 had shrunk under the thorax. The Larva, however, I have little 

 doubt, has the power of protruding or concealing its head as occa- 

 sion may require. The Larvas of Oiceopioma ihoracica, figured 

 by Schaefter, do not materially disagree with his figures of the 

 Larva of Phosph. aii^uta. 



Bledius Stephensii, p. 61. On the 28th November, 1826, a 

 short communication was made by me to the Zoological Club of 

 the Linnean Society, containing an account of this insect, of 

 which communication a notice appeared in the 10th Number of 



