The genus Melandrya was first established by Fabricius, who 

 had before united it with Helops. Latreille in his early works 

 formed a family of the Helopii, including Helops, Melandrya, 

 Serropalpus, Hallome7ius, Orchesia, Pytho, Lagria, and Nilio. 

 In his " Considerations Ge7ierales^' he has extended his family by 

 uniting the Tcnehrionites, Diaperiales, and Helopii, designating 

 them by the former appellation; and in his '^^ Families Natu- 

 relles" Melandrya, Conopalpus, Dyrcea, Hypulus, Serropalpus, 

 and Nothus, constitute the tribe Securipalpi, uniting the Helo- 

 pii by the Cistelides, which appears to be natural, and is simi- 

 lar to the arrangement proposed by Dr. Leach. Melandrya 

 is considerably allied to Mycetocharus Lat. in habit, and to 

 Sc7'ropalpus &c. in oeconomy. The mandibles present a cha- 

 racter which we noticed in Byrrhus, and which obtains also in 

 Cantharis — a notch on the internal side covered with mem- 

 brane. 



There are but 3 species of our genus recorded, 2 of which 

 are British. 



1. M. Caraboides Limi, — serrata Fab., Paiiz. 9. 3. 



This is by no means an uncommon insect during the months 

 of March, April, May, and June, under the bark of decaying 

 trees, upon which probably the larvae feed. I have found 

 specimens also running upon the pollai'd willows in Battersea 

 fields, and took one on the wing in Coombe Wood. 



2. M. canaliculata Fah., GylL 



The only British specimen at present known is the one 

 figured, which was met with flying near Brockenhurst in the 

 New Forest the middle of June 1823, by Mr. Bentley. The 

 specimen agrees very well with Fabricius's description, except 

 that the legs and antennae are entirely piceous. Panzer's 

 figure of it is by no means so good as his usually are ; and 

 the striae converge to the suture, which if correct would sepa- 

 rate ours from it : the same error, however, occurs in his figure 

 of the other species in our copy of his Fauna Insectorum Ger- 

 maniccE. 



The beautiful variety of Symphytum oj^cinale (Common 

 Comfrey) I gathered the middle of last September upon San- 

 down Marshes in the Isle of Wight ; and at the same time I 

 found several specimens with flowers of the richest purple, 

 and others entirely green. 



