Vill INTRODUCTION. 
most obscure species of its Coleopterous fauna. When we recollect, however, that 
Staphylinide are in warm countries rarely met with, except in the case of a few 
common species, that their preservation is more difficult than that of most other beetles, 
and that Mr. Champion could only devote a small portion of his time to them, I feel 
pretty sure that the total of 726 species for Guatemala is not more than one half of 
what actually exist there. 
From Nicaragua and Costa Rica we have received only 157 species; but these 
include some very singular forms, and I anticipate that the province contains a larger 
number of remarkable and beautiful species of the family than any other part of our 
region. 
In Panama Mr. Champion collected for a considerable period; thus the 457 species 
enumerated probably bear a relation to its true total similar to what I have already 
suggested in the case of Guatemala. 
I have already stated that only 34 of our species are known from North America, 
and 97 from South America and the Antilles. These figures indicate a much greater 
alliance of our subregion with the latter than with the former of the two adjoining 
countries. Both totals are very incomplete, and we shall no doubt ultimately find many 
species common to Northern Mexico and the southern parts of North America. Scarcely 
anything is known about the Staphylinide of Venezuela, and but little of that of the 
northern parts of continental Colombia ; no doubt many species are common to our sub- 
region and these countries, and I anticipate this alliance will increase more than that 
between Mexico and North America, because the arid contiguous regions in the latter 
countries are almost certain to prove naturally poor in this family. 
An examination of our indications of locality has shown me that if a table were drawn 
up to exhibit the number of species peculiar to each of the five provinces I have 
adopted, it would exhibit for each a large percentage of endemicity; there can be 
no doubt, however, that this is largely due to imperfect and unequal collecting, and I 
shall not mention any of the totals obtained, but will give my general impression as to 
these provinces, as this will be less misleading than the incomplete figures. 
That North Mexico will prove to be largely distinct from South Mexico I entertain 
no doubt; I anticipate, indeed, that it will be found the most distinct of all the 
divisions of our subregion. But whether my Guatemalan province is in reality suffi- 
