1854.] WESTWOOD FOSSIL INSECTS. 389 



there are half a dozen, at the most, of Beetles which were not more 

 than an inch or 15 lines long. 



Bodies of Insects. — Mr. P. B. Brodie's collection of Lower Pur- 

 beck fossils presents to us very few specimens of the entire bodies 

 of insects ; none, in fact, in which the antennae and limbs are pre- 

 served. The bodies or abdomens of a few minute insects alone 

 occur, the most perfect of which are represented in the upper part 

 of PI. XVIII. Of these, fig. 1 represents the under side of the 

 thorax and abdomen of a beetle, probably Carabideous : fig. 12, the 

 head and body of a minute Haltica or other Chrysomelideous 

 beetle : fig. 1 6 appears to be the prothorax of some small beetle : 

 figs. 6, 10, 18, & 19 appear to be the abdomens of minute beetles : 

 fig. 1 7, the abdomen of a small Cimicideous or Homopterous insect : 

 fig. 1 1 may be the scutellum and closed wings of a beetle deprived 

 of elytra, or those of a Cimicideous insect : figs. 7, 8, 13, & 15 appear 

 to be portions of the thorax of various insects : there are several 

 specimens like fig. 7 ; it appears indeed to be reproduced in the 

 front part of fig. 13. 



In addition to the above, there are the bodies of three minute in- 

 sects of an oval flattened form, about one-eighth of an inch long, 

 resembling PL XVIII. fig. 12. There is also a small object, 1 line 

 long, which looks like the head of a beetle with the two excavations 

 for the base of the antennae and the transverse labrum. There are 

 several mesonotums and metanotums of minute beetles, and a few 

 minute abdomens of beetles, and several objects that appear like the 

 articulations of small annulose animals in a greater or less state of 

 dislocation. 



Elytra. — As above stated, elytra, generally of minute size, and 

 rarely appearing in pairs, constitute the greater portion of this suite 

 of insect- remains. The most interesting and best defined of these 

 are represented in PI. XVI., which, with the exception of figs. 3, 34, 

 & 35, is entirely occupied with them. 



PI. XVI. fig. 1 represents one of the commonest occurrence. The 

 extremity, which terminates in an obtuse point, is here broken off. This 

 specimen is about 4 lines long, and is marked with ten plain fine striae. 

 I presume it to be Carabideous. PL XVI. fig. 2 is a small object, 

 which may possibly be an elytron ; it is convex and smooth. Figs. 

 8 & 9, although approaching fig. 2 in form, are, on the other hand, 

 evidently elytra of some short and very convex beetle, such as 

 Coccinella or Scymnns. Fig. 4 is a minute elytron, interesting on 

 account of the fossil still retaining a small black portion of the ori- 

 ginal tegument of the beetle : it seems to have belonged to a small 

 Elater. Fig. 5 is the largest elytron of the series, and apjjcars to 

 have belonged to the same family as fig. 4. Figs. G, 23, 29, & 32 

 represent elongated elytra, pointed at the tip, with the outer margin 

 slightly serrated, and the disc marked witli dark cloudy spots : these 

 appear to have belonged to species of Ayrilus among the Biiprestidcs. 

 Figs. 11, 22, 31, 3G, 37,38 are interesting on account of the original 

 light-coloured spottings on a dark ground being still visible. Figs. 

 15 & 24 are pale coloured, with small dark spots on the interstices 

 of the striae. Fig. 13 is also one of the commonest elytra ; it has 



