Entomologists have been very undecided with regard to the 
situation that these insects would most naturally occupy. Geof- 
frey, who gave them the significant name of Porte-oreilles , 
placed them amongst the Dermestes , influenced probably by the 
habit of the body, and the form of the legs ; whilst Rossi was 
induced from the structure of the sternum, to assimilate them 
with the Platers . Latreille’s ideas have been already noticed 
in the account of Gyrinus. Dr. Leach very properly placed 
them between Limnius Muller, ( Elmis Lat.) and Heteroce - 
rus. It will not be irrelevant here to remark, that the articu- 
lated mass forming the club of the antennae is not cylindric, 
like that of Gyrinus , but is produced on one side, thereby in 
some degree assuming the character of that organ in the Hy - 
drophilidce , which follow soon after, according to the views of 
Dr. Leach and the natural system of Mr. W. S. MacLeay in 
the valuable work before alluded to. 
The original generic name given to these insects by Olivier 
was Dryops , in which he was followed by Latreille; but it 
being found necessary to divide the genus, Olivier’s name has 
been assigned to a species that has not hitherto been discovered 
in this country (P. acuminatns F.), and Fabricius’s name 
Parnus restored to our genus, which appears to contain four 
British species ; and as two of them are new, the following 
characters are subjoined to distinguish them. 
1. P. prolifericornis P., sericeus Leach. — Olivaceous, vil- 
lose, minutely punctured, elytra very obscurely striated. 
2. P. impressus noh. — Minutely punctured, with two im- 
pressions towards the base of the thorax. 
3. P. bicolor nob.— -Minutely punctured, with coarse imper- 
fect striae at the base of the elytra, head and thorax black, 
elytra, legs and antennae, ferruginous. 
4. P. auriculatus III.-— Ovate, woolly : head and thorax 
deeply punctured, the margins of the latter very much nar- 
rowed before ; elytra shining, coarsely punctured, with imper- 
fect striae at the base. 
Mr. Samouelle says that the Parni inhabit the roots and 
blades of grass at the sides of ponds and ditches ; they are 
also to be found amongst the rejectamenta left upon marshes 
and meadows after a flood, during the winter and spring. By 
the form of their maxillae it is supposed that they eat animal 
substances, and that the down which covers them prevents the 
water from penetrating their bodies. 
The plant figured is Aster Tripolium (Sea Starwort). 
