Professor Pictet on the Insects found in Amber, 397 



separated generically from existing pines.) This tree has a 

 great resemblance, in its wood, to the pines and firs of our 

 own countries ; but, for the abundant production of resin, we 

 can compare it with none of the coniferae of the present world 

 but the Bammara australis of New Zealand, and, among the 

 other families, the leguminee that produce copal. Along with 

 these pines we likewise find some trees whose foliage is not 

 that of the coniferae, and in particular shrubs of the family 

 ericaceao. 



It is impossible, at present, to give a perfectly complete 

 idea of the fauna of amber, because there are still some orders 

 of insects which have not been studied. However, the re- 

 sults I have obtained by the study of the Neuroptera having 

 appeared to be confirmed, in a general manner, by what we 

 know of the other divisions, I shall here indicate the princi- 

 pal points. It is necessary to remark, before entering into 

 these details, that the insects preserved in amber cannot re- 

 present the totality of the entomological fauna of this epoch ; 

 for many of them, from their very nature, could not be pre- 

 served in this manner. Aquatic insects, for example, would 

 rarely come in contact with this resin ; accordingly, neither 

 the cases of phrygania3, nor any larva or insect, whose habi- 

 tation is exclusively aquatic, has ever been found in amber. 

 It must be remarked, moreover, that large insects, as well as 

 strong ones, and such as have a powerful flight, would most 

 frequently make their escape from the viscous matter which 

 was sufficient to arrest weaker and smaller insects. In these 

 two points of view, then, and probably in others besides, 

 blanks exist, which we must take into account in many com- 

 parisons. If we overlook this consideration, we shall erro- 

 neously conclude, for example, that the size of amber-insects 

 is less than that of the present race ; and, in the comparison 

 of the number of representatives of each family, we may fancy 

 that some of them were very rare, while the real fact may be, 

 that the insects which compose it have been able to make 

 their escape from the resin. 



The small number of known species, is still another cir- 

 cumstance which ought to make us cautious in our general!- 



