140 
BRITISH BEETLES. 
Melyridw and Cryptophagidx ; they are, also, associated 
by Redtenbacher with Lyctus and Alexia, and included 
by Thomson with Tritoma and Mycetxa in the Fnn- 
gicola. 
The species are found upon plants, especially near 
water : their tarsi are pentamerous, with the fourth 
joint almost obsolete ; the second and third being bi- 
lobed (the latter very strongly so), and the two first 
densely pilose beneath. 
The Cryptophagi (Plato VI., Fig. 1, Oryptopliagus 
scanicus) are found in vegetable refuse, fungi, and 
flowers ; they are difficult to determine, but good 
characters are to be found in the anterior angles of 
the thorax, and in the position and development of 
a tooth on the side between that angle and the base. 
The species of Atomaria are very small : they also occur 
in vegetablo refuse, often harbouring in dry dung, and 
havo been described by Mr. T. V. Wollaston in the 
Transactions of the Entomological Society of London 
(vol. iv. n. s., part iii. 1857). 
The Sc'APHiDiiD.E are represented in England by 
three species of two genera, Scaphidium and Scaphi- 
soma ; the former, found under logs of wood, in fungoid 
growth, and the latter in agarics and decomposing 
wood. Both are very agile, convex on the upper and 
undersides; ratherboatshaped; hard, shining, with 
very long and slender legs, the intermediate and 
hinder pairs of which are far apart ; the antennas, 
also, are exceedingly delicate in the latter genus, the 
members of which are very small and black ; Scaphi- 
dium being larger, with four red spots. 
r fhe parts of the mouth are not conspicuously de- 
veloped, the palpi (especially the labial pair), mandi- 
