Mr. J. Hardy on new British Coleoptera. 379 



that birds have no tendency whatever to torpidity, which seems 

 to result from diminished nervous irritabiUty, occasioned by a low 

 degree of temperature, more or less directly affecting numerous 

 important vital functions, as circulation, respiration, and neces- 

 sarily the evolution of animal heat; also digestion, secretion, 

 assimilation, absorption and excretion. 



That the periodical birds which visit this country in autumn 

 are not rendered torpid by cold will be readily acknowledged, as 

 they are known to quit the north of Europe on the approach of 

 winter for more genial climates in lower latitudes ; and it has 

 been shown that even in Britain the redwing frequently falls a 

 victim to severe and protracted frosts. Why then should any 

 reluctance be felt to admit that the periodical birds, whose ap- 

 pearance in spring is attended with so many pleasing associa- 

 tions, retire from this kingdom on the return of the cold season 

 to more southern countries, where a suitable temperature and an 

 ample store of food are to be found ? I have endeavoured to 

 prove by experiment that they do not become torpid ; and I may 

 add, that a premium of five pounds a head, publicly offered for 

 birds in a state of perfect torpidity, when I resided at Crumpsall 

 Hall, failed to produce a single individual, though, for a fifth 

 part of the sum, I know that I might have been abundantly 

 supplied with torpid bats and hedgehogs. 



Thus it is seen that experiment, observation and analogy are 

 all in favour of the conclusion at which I have arrived, namely, 

 that there is no physiological tendency whatever in birds to be- 

 come torpid. 



XL. — Descriptions of new British Coleoptera, with additional 

 Notes. By James Hardy, Esq. 



Rhyzophagus cyaneipennis. Hardy. 



Niger, nitidus, convexus, capita crebre thoraceque minus dense 

 punctatis, illo triangulari, hoc subquadrato-globoso ; elytris cy- 

 aneis minus profunde punctato-striatis ; pedibus antennisque rufis, 

 his apicibus nigris. Long. corp. lin. 1^. 



Shining : head black, short, much narrower in front, thickly 

 and finely punctured : eyes rather prominent : antennae ferrugi- 

 nous, as long as the thorax ; club small, black, piceous at the apex : 

 thorax black, subquadrate, globose, convex, punctured less thickly 

 but more coarsely than the head : scutellum black : elytra convex, 

 cyaneous, with a very narrow brown line along the margins and 

 the suture, slightly depressed behind the scutellum, finely punc- 

 tate-striate ; striae rather shallow, deepest towards the base ; punc- 

 t!W'e§ epnfused at the apex ; there are a im gonfused interstitial 



27* 



