INSECTA. 565 



furnished with complicated suckers. In a few genera, the 

 tarsi of the mid and fore legs have only four joints, as 

 Hyphydrus and Hydroporus ; in the others, the tarsi are 

 entire, as Haliplus, Pelobius, Noterus, Laccophilas, Colym- 

 betes, Hydaticus, Acilius, and Dytiscus. 



2. Gyr'medtz. — The antennae are here clavate, with a sub- 

 sidiaiy ciliated one at the base of each ; each eye divided 

 into two by the marginal band of the head. There is only 

 one genus belonging to this family, Gyrinus. 



II. Pentameha Microptera. — The insects of this di- 

 vision constituted the genus Staphylinus in the Linnean 

 system. They are characterized by their filiform or moni- 

 liform antennse, sometimes thickening a Uttle towards the 

 end. The body is narrow, and the elytra scarcely reach 

 to half the length of the abdomen. The coxae of the fore 

 and mid legs are remarkably large. Two bags are protru- 

 ed at pleasure from the anus. The species run and fly rea- 

 dily. When pursued, they elevate their head and abdo- 

 men, and assume a very threatening attitude. They fre- 

 quent moist places, in the neighbourhood of putrid animal 

 or vegetable substances. A few are found in flowers, in 

 pursuit of minute insects. Their first stomach is very 

 short, and without folds ; the second is long and villous, 

 with a short intestine. The species are very numerous, 

 and have been divided into many genera, which admit of 

 the following distribution : 



1. Head exposed, and separated from the thorax by an ob- 

 vious mark. Among the insects of this group there are some 

 which have the labrum deeply divided into two lobes. The 

 Staphyl'midce are distinguished by their filiform palpi, and 

 consist of the following genera : Staphyhnus, Pinophilus, 

 and Lathrobium. The Oocyporida have the four palpi, or at 

 least the labial ones, terminated by an enlarged joint, as in 

 Oxyporus and Astraphaeus. In other genera, the labrimi 



