628 Mr. J. O. Westwood on the Pnussida, 



the Entomologia Systematica 1792, deviating from his general 

 plan of adopting well-defined genera established by other au- 

 thors, inserted the P. microcephalus of Linnaeus and the P. liiiea- 

 tus alone of Thunberg in his genus Cerocoma, observing upon 

 the former species, " ad ulteriorem examinationem hie insero 

 insectum singulare, proprium genus uti videtur constituens, 

 mihi haud rith notum." To these two species a third was 

 added, named ruficollis. Afzelius is the next author who has 

 treated upon the genus, and whose elaborate paper in the 4th 

 volume of the Transactions of the Linnean Society, published 

 in 1798, deserves the study of every naturalist. Leaving no 

 part of his available materials to be elucidated by future ento- 

 mologists, his remarks (from the advantages which, as a prac- 

 tical collector, as one of the pupils of Linnaeus, and as a pro- 

 found naturalist, he possessed,) are entitled to the greatest con- 

 sideration. This author deemed it proper, with Thunberg, to 

 alter the generic name Paussus into Fausus, in consequence of 

 Linnaeus's supposed derivation of the name from "Pausa," and 

 in which respect he has been followed by many entomologists. 

 Latreille and Fabricius, however, preserved (with great pro- 

 priety according to my views of entomological nomenclature) 

 the name as originally spelt by Linnaeus. In addition to the 

 very extended generic characters, to numerous interesting obser- 

 vations upon its affinities, Sec, as well as to the more detailed 

 specific description of the Linnaean species, he added the de- 

 scription of a new species, which he named spharoceriis, refer- 

 ring also to the lineatus and ruber of Thunberg, and the ruficollis 

 of Fabricius, — making together five species. 



Donovan, in his splendid Natural History of the Insects of 

 India, described and figured not less than four new species 

 belonging to the family, and placed by him in this genus; 

 namely, Paussus denticornis Don. (Platyrhopalus dcnticornis 



mihi) ; 



