157 
two genera were allied, and, subsequently, Latreille formed them into a 
family which he named Paussiii, afterwards changed by Leach into 
Paussides. Mr. J. 0. Westwood commenced his labours on this family in 
1 830, describing many new species, and creating several genera, and 
subsequently summarised his work in the ‘ Arcana Entomologica ’ which 
contains descriptions and excellent figures of the fifty-two species known 
up to 1845. In the Oxford ‘Thesaurus entomologicus, 1 Mr. West- 
wood added many new species, and figured fifty-four species which com- 
prised all those unfigured up to 1874. Since then, but six new species 
from the Oriental Region have been described, and Mr. Westwood’s works 
consequently form the best guide to the study of the family. Boyes and 
Benson may also be mentioned as having brought to notice several species 
from India, in the pages of the Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal. 
In 1886, M. iiaffray described a number of new species, chiefly African, 
and further summarised the results of Mr. Westwood’s work, adding 
chapters on the morphology and classification of the family, followed by 
synoptical tables of the genera, and a list of species, M. Raffray divides the 
family into two tribes Cerapterini and Paussini ; iu the former, the labial 
and maxillary palpi are large, free, and never conceal the buccal cavity, 
whilst in the latter, the labial, and especially the maxillary palpi are 
short and thick, and conceal the buccal cavity. The Paussidae, as 
suggested by Burmeister, appear to be most closely allied co the Carabidae, 
Crotch, in 1873, included the Rhysodidae also in the Adephaga, but Horn 
writes : — ‘ These must be excluded for many reasons, more especially 
as they fail to present the ventral structure which may safely be taken 
as the key. If we admit them there is no reason why some and after 
them all the Colydiidce should not be admitted, and the door would be 
opened to much of the Clavicorn series. It must be admitted, however, 
that Paussus is the nearest approach of the Clavicorn series to the 
Adephaga , the approximation in another direction being through the 
Byrrhidcc and Patnidce with, however, a very wide interval. ’ Iu many 
European Catalogues the Paussidce are placed after the Carabidce, I place 
them here as more convenient. 
The Paussidc e are small insects of a quadrate form with very remark- 
able clubbed antennse, so much so that Afzelius formed them into a 
separate section of the Coleoptera from this character alone. They have 
been found by Benson, Champion, Trimen and Guenzius in ants’ nests 
and it is, perhaps, for this reason that they are so seldom seen in collec- 
tions, as the ants appear to keep the Paussidce prisoners within the for- 
micarium. A few have been captured at the light at night, but the 
more successful collectors have, as stated, found them by examining the 
