632 Mr J. O. Westwood o)i the Paussida, 



As this species has already been very fully described by 

 Afzelius, I shall not recapitulate its specific characters. It 

 is necessary, however, to make a few observations upon the 

 species, in consequence of the Linnean cabinet at the present 

 time not possessing the original Linnean specimen, a distinct 

 species being attached to the Linnean generic label. For the 

 purpose therefore of identifying the species, I beg to direct 

 attention to the size of the insect, which is stated in the original 

 description to be equal to Dermestes lardarius, and also to the 

 original figures, which are suflSciently exact to convince the 

 student that the specimen originally contained in the Banksian 

 cabinet, and now belonging to the Linnean Society, is the 

 P. microcephalus : it is true, that Afzelius states that he only 

 casually examined the Linnean insect in the possession of our 

 late lamented President; but it is not to be supposed that 

 Afzelius, himself the capturer of one of the species, could have 

 mistaken any other species which might at that time have been 

 introduced into the Linnean cabinet when he examined it ; and 

 this is rendered more unlikely, from the circumstance of the 

 original figures of the insect having been drawn by J. Afzelius. 

 Whence the first above-mentioned circumstance has arisen may 

 perhaps be learned by tracing the history of the three specimens 

 known to Afzelius. That in the cabinet of Sir Joseph Banks 

 now belongs to the Linnean Society (from which both Afzelius^s 

 and my own figures vvere drawn). The second, originally in 

 the cabinet of Mr. Drury, I understand subsequently came 

 into the possession of Mr. MacLeay : but of the third spe- 

 cimen, originallj'^ belonging to Linnaeus, I can discover no 

 trace. It appears, however, in the Histoire l^atiirelle <^c. that 

 Latreille received from " un des naturalistes de I'Angleterre le 

 plus estimable par ses connoissances, par ses communications 

 amicales, Alexandre MacLeay," three species of the genus, but 



which 



