388 Fauna Boreali- Americana. 



which cannot speak of a common animal or plant otherwise 

 than in its scientific technical name, we do not exactly perceive 

 the advantage of giving more than a Latin technical name to ani- 

 mals which, in ninety -nine cases out of a hundred, will never 

 be seen or thought of except in the cabinet of the collector, 

 neither should we deem it advisable to anglicise the names of 

 the sectional groups below those equivalent with the Linnae- 

 an genera, because it is not to be supposed that the generality 

 of persons will ever become acquainted with the groups of 

 an inferior rank to these. 



We perceive, likewise, that Mr. Kirby has unhesitatingly 

 pronounced many of the species described in his work, as ab- 

 solutely identical with the natives of Europe. Thus, we have 

 Platynus angusticollis, Omaseus orinomum, O. nigrita, Cur- 

 tonotus convexiuscula, Noihiophilus aquaticus, &c. We be- 

 lieve, however, it is a question by no means decided by geo- 

 graphical naturalists, whether the animals of North America are 

 not the geographical representatives of distinct European spe- 

 cies. In one of the early volumes of the 'American Transac- 

 tions,' there is a long memoir as to the specific identity of the 

 European and American hive bee; and we happen to know 

 that the specific identity of the species of European and Ame- 

 rican domestic flies, is a subject which has attracted the atten- 

 tion of one of the best American entomologists. 



We have been especially interested in the remarks with 

 which Mr. Kirby commences the descriptive portion of his 

 work. They are those of a profound observer, and have for 

 their object the description of a portion of the structure of 

 the predaceous beetles, which has been too much neglected 

 by entomologists, namely, the nature of the dilatation of the 

 tarsi in the males, and the different kinds of clothing upon 

 their under surface, or sole. A more extended examination 

 than Mr. Kirby has devoted to it, would most probably 

 prove that the characters to be obtained from this structure, 

 are of greater service in the arrangement of this difficult tribe 

 than any hitherto employed. 



This work has evidently been written several years, and we 

 have therefore to regret that in several instances, the labours 

 of different recent authors have not been noticed, and that, 

 consequently, some, both of the generic and specific names, 

 must sink into synonyms. 



The numerous coloured figures with which the work is or- 

 namented, are beautifully executed, being from the pencil of 

 Mr. Charles Curtis. We however miss the numerous outline 



