Entomological Society, 



6075 



finely punctured. Abdomen with all the segments thickly and finely punctured ; the 

 punctures, however, on the terminal segments are a little less dense thun on the basal ; 

 from the apex of the abdomen spring numerous longish hairs. First joint of the 

 posterior tarsi a trifle longer than the second. 



I found several specimens of this insect under rejectamenta at the mouth of the 

 Orwell, in September, 1855. It is a soft and delicate little insect, and subject to con- 

 siderable variation in colouring, chiefly in the elytra, these being sometimes entirely 

 pale and sometimes entirely pitchy, but usually they are dusky at the base, and this 

 dark colour is more or less extended in difierent individuals ; the apex of the abdomen 

 is always pale. 



H. imbecilla, together with H. fluviatilis, AVaaf^, H. cambrica, Wollasfon^ and H. 

 thiuobioides, Kraatz, may be grouped together as linear species allied to H. elonga- 

 lula, but distinguished by the abdomen being thickly punctured throughout. 



H. fluviatilis — or rather an insect (found on the banks of the Thames, near Ham- 

 mersmith, by Mr. Squire) which I suppose to be the species so named by Kraatz — 

 approaches the nearest to H. elongalula, but differs in being rather smaller, in having 

 the body black throughout, the antennae dusky (or impure black) to the base, the head 

 rather narrower and less rounded, the sides being nearly parallel, and the thorax 

 rather longer. 



H. imbecilla is about equal in size to the smallest specimens of H. elongatula ; 

 the antennas are longer and more slender than in that insect, sometimes fusco-testa- 

 ceous throughout, and sometimes entirely dusky ; the legs of a less bright and clear 

 colour, being more or less suflfused with brown or dusky at the base. 



H. cambrica is very like H. imbecilla, but its form is more slender, its elytra are 

 longer, and the punctuation is finer and more dense ; that on the thorax and elytra, 

 indeed, is so delicate as to be scarcely perceptible under a strong Stanhope lens, whilst 

 in H. imbecilla the puncturing throui^hout is tolerably distinct. 



H. ihinobioides is the smallest of the group and the most slender in its make, but 

 very like H. cambrica: its colouring is darker, and the punctuation of the abdomen 

 is still more dense. 



This note is made upon specimens from Madeira, given me by Mr. Wollaston. 



Mr. Westwood remarked the admirable manner in which the Abraeus exhibited by 

 Mr. Waterhouse was set, every tarsus being spread out. Mr. Waterhouse thereupon 

 informed the Meeting that the plan he adopted to set out small Coleoptera, of this 

 and some other families, was to gum the insects slightly down on their backs (using 

 gum Arabic for this purpose) : the legs, &c., were then readily spread out with a 

 camel's-hair pencil, after which the insect was easily removed by gently inserting the 

 point of a pen-knife under it, and then placed in its proper position on gummed card: 

 by this simple process many species could be set out, of which it is otherwise almost 

 impracticable to display the limbs. 



Mr. Waterhouse also detailed another plan, which he had found very useful, in 

 setting out those tribes of small Coleoptera in which the limbs are rigid, such as the 

 Curculiouida?, &c., viz. to gum the insects on card, without attempting to set out the 

 legs, iScc, until the gum has dried, when by slightly moistening the limbs, on one side 

 of the insect only, they were very readily brought to their required position with the 

 setting needle, and, on their again becjmiug dry, the other side could be treated in a 



