248 
Psyche 
[December 
In Horn’s paper of 1890 nanus is set down without remark as a 
synonym of melanocephalus but on what grounds it is impossible 
to say. There is not now a single discoverable example of any of 
Melsheimer’s species of Cercyon either in the Melsheimer or Le 
Conte Collections. It is understood that Le Conte was free to 
transfer to his own Collection anything he wished from the 
Melsheimer Collection, and he himself has somewhere stated 
that he possessed the authentic types of Melsheimer, Haldemann 
and Ziegler. There are now in the Le Conte Collection specimens 
bearing name labels (in Le Conte’s hand) of three of the Mels- 
heimer species — maculatus, mundus and minusculus— hut nothing 
bearing the name nanUs Mels. So far as discoverable there i^ 
nothing in the label, type of pin or style of mount, to indicate 
that any of these specimens came from the Melsheimer collec- 
tion; if any such there are they must have been remounted by 
Le Conte. 
It follows that in the case of nanus at least, there is no 
recourse but the original description, and this I do not hesitate 
to say does not agree with the melanocephalus of Horn. Mels- 
heimer’s diagnosis ife rather brief but he describes his insect as 
‘‘deep glossy black” and remarks that the antennae are piceous. 
Melanocephalus Horn is on the other hand rather dull in lustre, 
the elytra, as in the true melanocephalus and pygmceus, rufous 
or yellowish with a scutellar triangular black cloud which may 
spread over the greater part of the disk but never involving the 
entire lateral and apical margins; furthermore the antennae are 
pale. 
Fortunately however there is no need to consider nanus in 
this connection, for a careful study of descriptions convinces me 
that Horn’s melanocephalus is really another of the . European 
species — terminatus Marsh — which has hitherto not been rec- 
ognised in our fauna. This is of the same type and a close ally 
of melanocephalus and pygmceus, differing from the former in 
the smaller size, entirely pale palpi and antennae, and the ab- 
sence of the metasternal line extending obliquely forward to the 
front angles. The specimens sent by Liebeck as agreeing with 
Horn’s melanocephalus all possess precisely these characters, 
