23 
CHAPTER III. 
ON THE TERMS USED IN DESCRIPTIONS OP 
COLEOPTERA. 
Before acquiring a facility of noticing what are 
termed the salient diagnostic characters of a Beetle, it 
will be necessary, for the purposes of comparing notes 
with other observers, to kuow the usual meaning given 
to certain terms of description, and the parts of the 
external anatomy of the perfect insect : we will there- 
fore now give a short list of such words as are either 
not usually met with in common parlance, or have a 
particular signification. These will be kept separate 
from the parts of the body, which will be sufficiently 
explained by the cuts. 
Ah, in composition, means a departure from. 
Aciculate. As if scratched with a needle. 
Aculeate. Produced to a point. 
Acuminate. Terminated in a point. 
Alutaceous. Covered with minute cracks ; like mud, or 
mosaic. 
Anal. Relating to the extreme end of the abdomen. 
Apex. The extremity. In Coleoptera, the part farthest 
from the centre. 
Apical. Relating to the extremity. 
