THE LAMELLICORNS OF OLIVIER. 177 



discoidea Fab., ' Syst. Elect.' 2, 158, 116 

 Cetonia- velutina Oliv., tab. 14, fig. 121 



jiammea Vigors, 'Zool. Jour., vol. 2, p. 237, tab. 9. 

 Sp. 119. ciliata. Most likely a Kutela; if so, its country 



will be South America. 



In concluding these remarks on the species of Lamellicorns 

 mentioned by Olivier, two observations will occur to most 

 entomologists. The first is Olivier's want of a better ac- 

 quaintance with the Fabrician species ; this is remarkable. It 

 certainly should not have occurred respecting the species de- 

 scribed from our English cabinets, as Fabricius and Olivier 

 described from the self-same specimens ; every species was 

 labelled by Fabricius, and there ought not, therefore, to have 

 occurred so many glaring instances of decided neglect. The 

 second great error of Olivier was an indifference about stating 

 the countries from which the insects were received. This 

 blame attaches equally to Linnaeus, Fabricius, and other writ- 

 ers of the same period, and was the fault of the age in which 

 they lived : geographical distribution is of mere modern 

 growth, it is however of very great importance, and will even- 

 tually be found the best clue to conduct us out of the laby- 

 rinths of doubt and error, and without it we never can satis- 

 factorily arrange the families, genera, or even the species of 

 Insecta. 



Olivier's work, as a whole, is one of the best which has 

 appeared in France or Europe ; although many of the figures 

 are bad, many again are tolerably faithful portraits of the 

 species. A. wretchedly miserable work, with Olivier's figures 

 was published at Nuremberg about 1800, under the title of 

 ' Abbeldungen zuk. Illigeri, Uebersetzung, von Olivier's En- 

 tomologie.' The plates are so bad that it is rarely admitted 

 by entomologists into their libraries. Faulty indeed as the 

 above works may be, they are yet better than none. It is 

 remarkable, that with the exception of Drury's ' Illustrations 

 of Exotic Entomology,' the English authors have scarcely 

 ever published a general work of any magnitude, with plates. 

 As far as our British Fauna goes however, we greatly sur- 

 pass the continental writers, as no where in Europe will be 

 found more valuable Faunas than those of Messrs. Stephens 

 and Curtis. A publication on the same scale as that of Oli- 

 vier's would do much to advance the science of Entomology, 

 and is at the present moment a great desideratum. There 

 are in England several magnificent collections, able artists, 

 and unrivalled comparative anatomists, but where is patronage 

 to stimulate to exertion ? How little is science encouraged, 

 — how weakly is it supported ! 



