400 Mr. Marsuam’s Account of 
deavouring to extricate itself from the wood which formed part 
of the desk. Mr. Montague with his penknife carefully released 
it from its cell, and it proved to be a beautiful coleopterous 
insect, of the genus Buprestis, full of strength and vigour. The 
desk, which is 8 feet 9 inches long and 3 feet 5 inches wide, is 
made of fir wood, which is perfectly sound. It was fixed in the 
office in the year 1788 or 1789, and it has remained there, un- 
touched, ever since, excepting that about three years ago it was 
planed to remove some ink spots; by which operation the animal 
had a very narrow escape from being discovered, as was apparent 
from the thinness of the wood over the cell when it attempted 
to come out. The insect with a piece of the wood about a foot 
square, cut out nearly from the middle of the desk, was sent to 
Sir Joseph Banks ; but a thin shaving had previously been taken 
from the surface of the board, by the officious care of a car- 
penter, who chose to shave away the stains of ink. 
When I first saw this insect alive in Soho Square, both Sir 
Joseph and myself were much struck with the richness, beauty 
and elegance of its colours, particularly on account of its having 
come out of a plank imported from the Baltic, as those splendid 
insects in general inhabit the hottest climates. On examination, 
we found it described by Fabricius in his Systema Eleutheratorum, 
i. 204. 101. as Buprestis splendens, although he adds ** Habitat in 
China." ]t is also described by Paykull in his Fauna Suecica, 
vol. iii. 229. 16. under the name of B. splendida. * Habitat in Up- 
landia rarius.” And Gyllenhall, who has given the best and most 
particular description of it, in his Insecta Suecica, i. 455. 15. 
adopts the name of B. splendida after Paykull, and quotes 
Herlst. Col. ix. 55. 38. which I have no doubt is the same, as this 
author likewise refers to Paykull. Gyllenhall seems also to 
think that B. pretiosa of Herbst. ix. 127. 6. tab. 144. fig. C. is the 
same 
