223 



American Philosophical Society. Thence to Agrilus politus, in 

 1833; and the remainder, to Elater ezstriatus inclusive x in 1834. 

 In your list of species unknown to you is enumerated the 

 Feronia caudicalis of Say, and yet you have a doubtful refer- 

 ence to it on page 243, under P. luctuosus. For a specimen 

 of a Feronia which I sent to Mr. Say, he returned me the name 

 of caudicalis, and I have (without, however, very critically 

 comparing the species with his description) supposed it to be 

 rightly so named by him. The insect belongs to a group which 

 I had previously studied, and therefore I could not have made 

 any mistake as to the identity of the specimen retained with 

 those sent. You must have seen the insect in my cabinet. 

 His Agonum scutellatum is merely an accidental variety of a 

 small and very common species, the variation consisting in a de- 

 pression about the region of the scutel, which is sometimes found 

 in various species, and which is purely accidental. I think you 

 told me that my species (in which this occurs) is melanarium 

 Dej. It is not, however, what I consider as melanarium. 



HARRIS TO LECONTE. 



CAMBRIDGE, Dec. 21, 1852. 



How Fabricius and Olivier came mutually to quote each 

 other for Cantharis atrata will appear when their works are 

 fully examined. You will find the species described by Olivier 

 in the Encyclopedic Me'thodique before the date of his Entomo- 

 logia Systematica ; and you will find it in the earlier works of 

 Fabricius, as well as in his Systema Eleutheratorum. Meloe 

 cinercus Forster, is undoubtedly the species known to us by the 

 name of O. marginata Oliv. and is probably also the L. 

 marginata Fabr., who however gives for its habitat the Cape 

 of Good Hope. I have very little doubt that Fabricius was 

 in error as to the place, and moreover, I believe he may have 



