29G [June, 



gradually shading into yellow at the base : these Mr. Edwards calls 

 punctatus, of which more hereafter ; of neglectus, I have specimens 

 with only the apical one-eighth of the 2nd joint black, others with at 

 least the apical one-third black, this applies to both sexes ; of decora- 

 tus, I have specimens taken off heath (I do not speak of those taken 

 on nettles by myself at Ilfracombe) with only the extreme base of 

 the 2nd joint pale, I have others with a third of the joint pale. 



In the face of this variability, I must continue to doubt the 

 wisdom of employing colour in this genus as a specific character. 



Next, as to form. I am prepared to leave pictus as a species for 

 the present, as its antennae, as I pointed out at page 148 of the current 

 vol. of this Magazine, and as has been observed by nearly all writers 

 on the genus, are certainly thinner and longer than in the other species, 

 and are entirely pale, but it is so rare that to my mind the constancy 

 of these characters is hardly established. 



Mr. Edwards makes two species with mesosternal tubercles, 

 affinis and punctatus ; both have the prosternum deeply and closely 

 punctured ; these he distinguishes apart by the colour of the 2nd 

 antennal joints, by the adoption of which character he throws them 

 into different sections of the genus ; he also distinguishes them by 

 the form of the $ genital styles. He has very kindly lent me his 

 dissections to examine, and I am bound to say that I fail to appre- 

 ciate the differences shown in his figures. He mentions the apical lobe 

 of the style in punctatus as being without hairs, to me and to a friend 

 of mine who examined the styles with me, under a -^-inch objective, 

 the hairs are distinctly visible, and spring from fovea? in the same way 

 as they appear to do in affinis ; under the least change of aspect a 

 different form of the style presents itself, and I cannot but think that 

 the difference shown in Mr. Edwards' figures is more due to difference 

 of aspect than of form. 



Mr. Edwards' other three species are without tubercles. Ad- 

 junctus is only admitted on a statement of Mr. Douglas' (Ent. Mo. 

 Mag., xi, p. 265), and no British exponent is known of it ; to my mind, 

 if there were one it would be only a colour variety of decoratus: at 

 any rate, until a specimen occurs in this country, I doubt the wisdom 

 of inserting it in our lists. 



Neglectus, Edw. : here, I think, Mr. Edwards' grounds are much 

 firmer ; the genital styles certainly are different in form from those 

 of decoratus, but I do not feel sure yet that such a difference may not 

 be due to development ; still, if developed neglectus (with which I am 

 unacquainted) should possess styles shaped as in the undeveloped 



