to he considered as indwenous, 151 



to' 



traneous descent. As far as we have had an opportunity of 

 learning, a multitude of our finest insects, amongst which 

 may be enumerated Deilephila lineata, euphorbias, and galii, 

 though pretty widely distributed, were nOt dreamed of by the 

 old collectors as natives of our own territory ; and, if we mistake 

 not, many of those scarcely included inter rariores at the 

 present day, e. g. Papilio Machao?z, Vanessa Antiopflr, &c. 

 were hardly known lie fore the time of Petiver, when the 

 votaries of entomology became more numerous. It was re- 

 served for the piercing scrutiny of a more scientific era; for 

 the indefatigable researches of a Stephens, a Leach, a Curtis, 

 and a Dale, to draw the highly interesting species that now 

 enrich and adorn our cabinets, as Eulepia graminea, Lycse^n« 

 dispar, Lse^iitf caenosa, with a host of others, fi'om an ob- 

 scurity as complete as if they were utter strangers in the 

 land. Yet no one, I presume, will venture to arraign their 

 title to adoption, were it only that the greater part, if not all 

 of them, are known to belong to strictly European species. 



If frequency of occurrence is to be thrown into the scale 

 in favour of Mr. Stephens's hypothesis, then may »Sphinj: 

 Carolina or quinquemaculata boldly await the issue of the 

 decision, opposed to Deile})hila lineata or /Sphinx: pinastri, 

 since it appears that the former, or one of the two (if leally 

 distinct), has at least been taken alive in this countr}?^ nearly 

 or quite as often as the last-mentioned insect; which remark 

 may likewise be extended to species belonging to different 

 genera, of infinitely greater rarity, but indubitably British, as 

 Catocala fraxini, Colias Chrysothem^, &c. 



Let us examine the validity of Mr. Stephens's objections 

 grounded on a note appended to his remarks upon Deilephila 

 Celerio, in his excellent Illustrations of Entomology*, where- 

 in he mentions the capture of nearly fifty species of exotic 

 insects in the West India Docks, and among the rest three 

 of the huge Mygale Avicularia. Then follows an observation 

 upon the extraneous origin of the jBlattse, so common in the 

 houses not only of the metropolis but also in those of most 

 of our seaport towns, which we think few will venture to con- 

 trovert. The note then concludes with an enumeration of 

 several exotic coleopterous insects, and one of the Orthoptera, 

 found at large in this country. It remains to be seen what so 

 formidable a cloud of insect evidence can achieve. 



Mr. Stephens has not favoured us with an account of to 

 what orders, natural or artificial, the insects belonged, stated 

 to have been caught in the West India Docks ; but, from the 



* Haustellata, vol. i. p. 129. infra, 

 L 4 



