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9006 Insects. 
remark that I have examined a very large number of specimens of the 
mountain species of Patrobus from different parts of the North of 
England (in one instance about eighty examples kindly sent to me for 
that purpose by my friend Mr. Morris Young, of Paisley), and that I 
am pretty confident we have only one species, viz. P. picicornis, Zelt. 
(septentrionis, Dej., Dawson), excepting of course P. clavipes and 
P. excavatus. According to Thomson (Skan, Col., 1859, i. 215, 3), 
P. rubripennis (hitherto considered a var. of picicornis) should be four 
lines long, with the elytra red, three times longer than the thorax, their 
striz distinctly punctuated, especially at the base, and the basal fovee 
of the thorax sparingly punctured; whilst picicornis (id., loc. cit. i. 
215, 4) should be from four to four and a quarter lines in length, with 
the elytra black and shining, four times longer than the thorax, their 
strie less deep and more gently punctured, and the basal fovee of the 
thorax thickly punctured. These differences in length, colour and 
striation in the elytra appear in several specimens examined by me, 
and extreme examples of either variety would answer excellently 
to Thomson’s descriptions of his two species; but unfortunately I have 
also seen, and even from the same localities, other individuals wherein 
a transposition of the above-mentioned characters takes place: e. g., 
there are specimens with very long elytra, the striz of which are gently 
punctured and not deep, but they are red instead of black, and this 
evidently no result of immaturity; again, there are others with black 
shining elytra, but short, with deeper striz and distinctly punctured. 
In fact, L have seen the delicately punctured striz2 and smooth 
interstices gradually (by a chain of examples) merge into coarser 
and deep punctuation, with the interstices elevated; the lurid 
colour tone down to deep black, and the short elytra become 
long. The females generally have the elytra longer in propor- 
tion and more lurid in colour than the males. | am indeed in- 
clined to go further than expressing my belief that we do not possess 
two species of Patrobus with long elytra in England, and to say that 
1 strongly suspect 'l‘homson has elevated a mere variety into the rank 
of species without sufficient reason; the only character given by bim 
at all opposed to this supposition being the difference in punctuation 
of the basal fovez of the thorax. I have, however, seen certain small 
diversities in the degree of punctuation of these fovez in the speci- 
mevs above mentioned, but they are quite irrespective of the other 
characters by which they ought to have been accompanied, according 
to Thomson; and, if the latter has any weakness (for his work is most 
admirable, and exhibits an originality and keenness of discernment 
