12 



HENTZ TO HARRIS. 



NORTHAMPTON, Feb. 19, 1826. 



I am glad that you will publish an account of the Chremasto- 

 cheili and Cetonice. Let me make one remark on the 0. barbata 

 of Mr. Say. Before I had read his description I had marked 

 it G. Inda, the Trichius Inodus of Fabr., who remarks in his 

 first book on Entomology that the insect is probably a Cetonia. 

 It is marked as inhabiting India, but there are many errors to 

 be found in the account of the residence of insects in Fabri- 

 cius ; for instance, in that of the Melolontha lanigera. It may 

 then be an error, and the description is exact in Fabricius. I 

 even think that Olivier 1 s plate corresponds with the insect. 

 You know it is extremely common in the North and South, and 

 must have been early sent to European collections ; in a word, 

 I still think Mr. Say may have given a new name to an insect 

 described before him, which I also fear he has done in Silpha 

 lapponica, and this is more likely, since many species of that 

 genus and Necrophorus are common to both continents. 



I have no Cetonice to offer you ; but of the genus Trichius I 

 have the bibens of Pennsylvania, and a very beautiful insect 

 probably belonging to that genus, of which I have but one 

 specimen ; it is certainly not described by Fabricius, though it 

 may be the Trichius capuchins of Melsheimer, as its color is 

 that of our capucinus, namely, a chestnut color ; the thorax, 

 scutel, body and abdomen are covered with yellowish or ferru- 

 ginous hair. Its elytra, shorter than the abdomen, are also 

 narrower towards the end, and being separated naturally, do 

 not form a regular suture. Do you know this insect? 



. Your discovery for the classification of Lepidoptera by the 

 nervures of the wings, as Jurine has done for Hymenoptera, 

 must be of high importance in a class which naturally requires 

 more divisions ; you may believe that I shall be happy to learn 

 your method, when you have leisure to explain it to me. 



