234 
BRITISH BEETLES. 
and thin antennae. Its male is distinguished by the 
peculiar formation of the hinder legs,, which have 
the femora much inflated and arched, and the tibiae 
augulated at the base. It is nocturnal in its habits, 
and occurs somewhat freely at ivy blossom and sallow 
bloom, both in the autumnal and spring months. 
In CEdemera. coerulea (Plate XI., Fig. 2), a small 
metallic, bright blue or green species, found abun- 
dantly in flowers during the summer months, in the 
hot part of the day, the male exhibits a similar forma- 
tion of the hinder legs to that of Oncomera. 
The Mordellid* are, perhaps, the most readily dis- 
tinguishable of any of the section, owing to their strong 
family likeness. They are mostly small, widest in 
front, contracted behind, with the pygidium exposed, 
and often ending in an absolute spine ; broadest and 
convex on the upper side, but shelving down to a com- 
parative ridge on the lower surface (resembling nothing 
so much in shape as one of the small segments of a 
peeled and divided orange) ; with the thorax and head 
bent down, the latter so much so as to be often quite 
invisible ; the legs getting larger from front to rear, 
closely articulated, flattened, and with long spurs to 
the hinder tibiae. They are found most frequently in 
the flowers of Umbelliferse, and are very active in their 
movements, having an especially irritating habit of 
slipping away on an attempt being made to capture 
them. When caught, they are not the easiest beetles 
to mount on card, — as may readily be guessed from 
their structure. 
The family falls naturally into two tribes, the Mor- 
delUna, in which the apex of abdomen is produced into 
a more or less strong spine or style, and the Anaspina, 
