1847.] Winter Insects of Eastern New York.  ° 3 
bear some resemblace to the chaff-scale or glume of a small ker- 
nel of grain; the apex is armed with a straight thorn-like spine 
which is directed backwards and downwards; the inner margin 
is studded with a row of small teeth, which are longer and more 
distinct towards the apex of the pseud-elytron; these teeth are in- 
clined backwards, and at their points they are strongly curved in 
the same direction; both the outer and inner margins are minutely 
ciliated with short hairs. The under wings are represented on 
each side by a curved bristle which lies under the pseud-elytron 
and within its concavity; it scarcely exceeds the pseud-elytron in 
length, is slightly dilated at its base, curves inwards and down- 
wards, is almost hooked at its tip, and gives off an occasional short 
hair. In the female the wings are entirely wanting, the only ves- 
tiges of them being two minute scales occupying the place of the 
upper pair: these scales are circular and scarcely the hundredth 
part of an inch in diameter in B. nivoriundus, slightly elongated 
and a third smaller in B. brwmalis; they are convex above and 
concave beneath, and attached to the thorax by a short broad pe- 
dicel; their edges are ciliated with minute hairs; their upper sur- 
face is also thickly set with very short, erect hairs, and is crossed 
by an elevated rib or slight keel. Legs long, particularly the 
posterior pair, the length of which exceeds that of the body; their 
several joints cylindric and densely clothed with short minute hairs; 
the first tarsal joint half as long as the tibia, the four remaining 
joints successively shorter, terminated by two small, slender, sim- 
ple hooks. Abdomen oval, depressed when exsiccated, the seg- 
ments distinctly marked by strongly impressed transverse lines, 
and clothed with fine appressed hairs: in the males it is nearly 
cylindrical, but little broader than the head, truncated as it were 
at its apex and turned upwards; tip of the last seement furnished 
with two stout sharp-pointed hooks, each with an acute tooth in 
the middle of its inner edge, and pilose along its outer edge; these 
hooks are susceptible of being extended in a line with the body, 
but are commonly strongly recurved upon the back, shutting down 
upon and grasping a small scutel-like process which projects up- 
wards at the base of this segment. They are thus recurved in co- 
ition, the male organ being exserted from between their bases. 
Ovipositor robust, about half as long as the abdomen of the female, 
projecting backwards in a line with the body, composed of a three- 
jointed semicylindrical piece above, and two ligulate valves be- 
16 the latter have their lower edges held in contact, thus form- 
ing a little gutter, and on the under-side towards their tips they 
are finely serrated; of the upper piece, the middle joint is much 
the longest, and is lined beneath on its concave side with a mem- 
brane which becomes distended with fluid when the abdomen is 
pressed upon; the short terminal joint is susceptible of being in- 
