THE YOUNG 



NATURA.LIST. 



53 



anguage of flowers, the willow is the 

 Bmblem of melancholy, and is alwajs 

 issociated with mourning as in the 

 3ong of Desdemonda — 



" Sing willow, willow, willow, 

 Sing all a green willow shall be my 



[garland." 



An immense number and variety of 

 nsects prey upon the leaves and wood 

 Df the various species of willow. Often 

 n summer the goat willow may be 

 seen completely stripped of its foliage 

 md the twigs matted together with a 

 silky substance like spiders' webs. It 

 is a rich amusement for boys to apply 

 a lighted match to these networks as 

 they shrivel up with a sudden flare 

 resembling what Solomon called " the 

 laughter of fools/' Like the oak, 

 some of the willows form a favourite 

 ihaunt of numerous gallflies, and the 

 leaves are often beautifully spangled 

 with the little crimson beads which 

 form their habitation. They are also 

 Very subject to the ravages of plant-Hce 

 Aphides — those secreters of the honey- 

 dew, which the rustic mysteriously 

 thinks, drops manna-like from heaven, 

 jand which is so greedily devoured by 

 I ants. 



NOTES ON COLEOPTERA, 

 FOR BEGINNERS. 



By Dr. J. W. Ellis and Mr. Smedley, 



j Liverpool. 



|(Will the readers of the Y.N. kindly correct 

 an amusing printer's error which occured 

 in the last number of the Y.N., in the 



locality for Cardbus catemdatus ; although 

 this species does generally inhabit 

 "healthy " situations, it was not intended 

 that young coleopterists should be sent 

 to look for this species in such a mislead- 

 ing locality, but " heathy " situations was 

 the word which ought to have appeared 

 in print.) 



Passing from the Carabides, and omitting 

 for the present any reference to the Scari- 

 tides, we commence with the first group of 

 beetles which have notched anterior tibiae, 

 the LeMid(s, distinguished by their truncate 

 elytra, which are generally shorter than the 

 abdomen. The last species in this family, 

 Masoreut Wetterhalli, has the elytra so long, 

 and so slightly truncate at the apex that it 

 may cause a little trouble to its fortunate 

 captors, but the description, given at the 

 close of this article will, I think, enable 

 them to recognise it. The Leliidce (includ- 

 ing the genus Brachinus, which is separated 

 as a distinct family by some authors), 

 contains the following genera : — Brachinus, 

 Drypta, Polystichus, Odacajitha, ^tophorus, 

 Demetris, I)ro77iius, Blechrus, Metabletus, 

 lAonychus, Lehia^ Cyniindis, and Masoreus. 

 The latter of these is easily separable by 

 reason of its having the anterior tibiae 

 covered with strong spines, the whole of the 

 remaining genera having the legs smooth 

 and unarmed. 



A. Anterior tibiae without spines. 



Fig. 5. Fig. 6, Fig. 7. 



I. Fourth joint of anterior tarsi deeply 

 bilobed. (See fig. 5., anterior tarsus 

 of Demetrias atricapilhis) . 

 Upper side Hue ; thorax very long ; an- 

 tennae and legs yellow-red . . Drypta. 

 Head black ; thorax red. Elytra pale, 



