58 _THE AUSTRALIAN NATURALISI. - 
upon the Fumagine; cutting clear swathes in the fungus with 
their well developed mandibles; the insect moving from side to 
side of the infested patch of leaf as it feeds. I have reason to 
believe that the book-lice also feed upon dead and dried scale 
insects, and possibly on the epidermis of dead leaves, but the 
Fumagine is without doubt their principal food, and accounts 
for their presence on the citrus tree. They do no damage to 
the growing plant. 
The habits of these book-lice may be easily observed, the 
only requirement being a small potted citrus tree fairly heavily 
infested with Fumagine, leaves bearing egg clusters of the 
psocids being placed on the soil of the pot, the larvae on hatch- 
ing readily finding their way to the infested leaves of the small 
tree, and show little or no tendency to leave the plant, which 
should, however, be covered with muslin prior to the develop- 
ment of the winged insects. The insects may also be success- 
fully reared in a box by supplying them from time to time with 
Fumagine-infested leaves. 
SOME MYRMECOFPHILOUS INSECTS. 
By HK. H. Zeck. 
A collection of some seventy species of these most interest- 
ing insects was exhibited by me at the monthly meeting held 
in May. 
The collection contained representatives of the following 
thirteen families of the Order Conrorrera: Carabidae, Scara- 
baeidae, Scydmaenidae, Pselaphidae, Staphylinidae, Colydiidae, 
Ptinidae, Trichopterygidae, Scaphididae, Histeridae, Tretothoras 
cidae, Brenthidae, Xylophylidae, and also representatives of the 
following Orders, ApTera, ORTHOPTERA, HyMENOPTERA, DIPTERA, 
Homoprera, and Hemrprera. 
The following are a few notes on some of the families of 
the Order Coleoptera. 
Pselaphidae can be distinguished by their short elytra 
which leave half or more of the abdominal segments exposed. 
The tarsi are three jointed, and the antennae are thickened to- 
wards the tips. They are small insects, few exceeding 3 mm. 
in lengtli, and of various shades of brown. In the remarkable 
species of the genus Articerus, the head is elongated, and is 
much narrower than the thorax; the antennae are apparently 
one jointed. 
Scydmaenidae, which at first sight might be thought to be- 
long to the Pselaphidae, can easily be distinguished by their 
