56 



Sp. 14. Monoceros. — Now the type of the genus ; 

 the specific name I change to Vulgaris. Other 

 writers give the generic name of Notoxus to include 

 the insects belonging to it. I cannot adopt it, as 

 it is used previously by Fabricius himself for one 

 of the genera of Tillidae. 



Mordella, Linneus. 



The species of Mordella mentioned in the Systema 

 belong only to three genera. Ripiphorus is a para- 

 site, found in the wasp's nest, and the remaining 

 species are taken abundantly on the umbelliferae 

 and on other plants. As I have no observations 

 to make on the Linnean species, I pass onwards to 

 the genus Staphilinus. 



Staphilinus, Linneus. 



Under the term Staphilinus will be found the 

 whole of the Brachelytra, commonly called in 

 England Rove Beetles. The species belonging to 

 our British Isles are probably not far from a thou- 

 sand, about 700 of which have been described. 

 Among them there are very decidedly marked 

 families. It is generally regarded as a carnivorous 

 group, and it is true that some of the larger species 

 feed on carrion ; the great majority of them, how- 

 ever, are vegetable feeders. They abound , in de- 

 cayed fungi and rotten wood ; others occur in 

 numbers in the recent droppings of cattle, and 

 frequent the dung-heap, around which many of 

 them live. Minute as many of these insects are, 



