COLEOPTERA. 
533 
hairs. There is a conspicuous band of these across the 
middle of the wing-covers, and another on the second and 
third abdominal segments; this abdominal band is best 
marked on the lower side of the body. 
Stapliylinus maculosiis (Staph-y-li'nus mac-u-lo'sus) is a 
larger species, which often measures fully an inch in length. 
It is densely punctured, and of a dull-brown color, with the 
scutellum black, and a row of obscure, square, blackish spots 
along the middle of the abdomen. 
Stapliylinus vulpinus (S. vul-pi'nus) resembles the pre¬ 
ceding somewhat, but it has a pair of bright-yellow spots at 
the base of each abdominal segment. 
Leistotrophns cingulatus (Leis-tot'ro-phus cin-gu-ia'tus) is 
of about the same size as the preceding. It is brown, 
speckled with brownish-black spots, and the tip of its 
abdomen is clothed with golden hairs. 
The family TlUCHOPTERYGlD^E (Tri-chop-te-ryg'i-dae), or 
the Feather-wing Beetles , includes the smallest beetles that 
are known; most of our species are less than one twenty- 
fifth of an inch in length, and in many cases they are not 
half that size. The most striking feature of the typical 
forms is the shape of the wings, which are long, narrow, and 
fringed with long hairs, being feather-like in appearance; 
but in some species the wings are wanting. Some species 
live in rotten wood, muck, manure, and other decaying 
organic matter; a few have been found in ants’ nests. 
The family HYDROSCAPHID^E (Hyd-ro-scaph'i-da^) is rep¬ 
resented in America by a single, minute, aquatic species 
from California. See table of families for its characteristics. 
The family SniJERUDM (Sphae-ri'i-dae) is also repre¬ 
sented on this continent by a single Californian species. It 
lives in mud or under stones near water. Its distinguishing 
features are given in the table of families. 
The family SCAPHIDIID^E (Scaph-i-di'i-dse) includes less 
than twenty known North American species. They are 
