204 Mr. T. Vernon Wollaston on the 



the original type for comparison), — which M. de Boieldieu identi- 

 fied with the P. testaccus of Olivier. It is clearly a naturalized 

 species, and perfectly unimportant ; and was captured by myself, 

 in a house, during my sojourn in the island of Hierro, at the end 

 of February, 1858. 



Genus Mezium. 

 (Leach) Curtis, Brit. Ent. v. 2S2 (1828). 

 8. Mezium sulcatum, Fab. 

 M. nigro- vel rufo-piceum ; capite prothoraceque densissime 

 flavo-albido-squamosis, hoc valde 4-nodoso-costato ; elytris 

 politissimis, interdum setis paucis rigidis erectis obsitis, ad 

 basin ipsissimam squamarum fasciculis minutis instructis ; 

 antennis pedibusque robustissimis, crassis, dense subsetu- 

 loso-squamosis. 

 Long. Corp. lin, | — vix I|. 

 Pt'mus sulcatus, Fab., Spec. Ins. i. 73 (1781), 

 Mezium sulcatum, Curt., Brit. Ent. v. 232 (1828). 



, Woll., Ins. Mad. 273 (1854). 



, Id., Cat. Mad. Col. 92 (1857). 



Habitat insidas Canarienses, sub lapidibus in aridis saxosis 

 necnon prsesertim in cavernis tufae, vulgare. 



The common Mezium sulcatum, which in central and southern 

 Europe is constantly imported with various articles of merchandize, 

 and is therefore generally to be found (when at all) in and around 

 the dwellings of man, would seem to be truly indigenous in the 

 Atlantic Groups. At Madeira it is pretty common, beneath 

 stones (in company with the Plinus mauritanicus and. Hegeter elon- 

 gatus), in barren rocky spots and open basaltic caverns ; and at 

 the Canaries it often teems, in similar localities, — where it is cer- 

 tainly universal throughout the Archipelago. I have myself only 

 captured it in six out of the seven islands of the cluster, not 

 having happened to find it during my short stay at Gomera ; but 

 there cannot be the slightest doubt that it must exist there also. 

 At Arguineguin, in the south of Grand Canary, I have observed 

 it in the utmost profusion, — under stones, amongst the small 

 groves of Tamarisk, facing the sea ; but undoubtedly its favourite 

 haunts are the dry, rocky (though open and exposed) caves with 

 which the tufa and basalt everywhere abound, and to which the 

 various Hegeters (and a few species of Helops) are more peculiarly 

 attached. M. de Boieldieu, in his Monograph of the Ptinidce, 

 has failed to notice the tendency of its elytra (which are usually 

 quite glabrous) to be more or less sparingly studded with a few 

 strong erect setae ; and he has likewise omitted all allusion to its 



