REVIEWS. 97 



And now having acted the part of champions for the " Birdies fair, 1 ' in 

 order that they may be included in the future part, we must also defend 

 the right of some smaller fry that have been excluded from the present 

 part. If we turn to the 178th page, we find that of all the classes that 

 come under marine zoology, that of Insecta is the smallest in respect of 

 numbers. We are aware that of this the most populous class, beyond 

 all comparison, of animals, embracing as it does more than ten times as 

 many species as all other living beings put together the sea is singularly 

 destitute. It has, indeed, been frequently said that no true insect is 

 marine ; and, though this is not literally true, the minuteness of the 

 exception makes the .rule even more striking than it would have been if 

 absolutely universal. Of the hundreds of thousands of insects known to 

 exist, but two, says Mr. Gosse, live in the sea. Now, if .we can help 

 it, this solitary pair shall no more pine alone ; for, we fancy, we shall be 

 able to add to this small band, at least, two pair more. 



We would sincerely wish for Mr. Gosse's company as far as the Portrane 

 sands, not far from Dublin, where we would show him one, at least, of 

 the two pair ; but, meanwhile, we must tell him of them, and this shall 

 be done in the words of an entomologist of whom we are justly proud, 

 and who was the discoverer of one of the insects : " I found," says Mr. 

 Haliday, " Cillenum laterale under stones, near few-water mark. They 

 prey upon the sand-hoppers, and the tide retiring has scarcely unco- 

 vered the sand, when these little depredators are abroad from their hiding- 

 places, and alert in the chase." We forbear to quote more of this inte- 

 resting history ; but Mr. Gosse will find it in No. 18 of the " Entomological 

 Magazine" for January, 1837. 



In company with the Cillenum, Mr. Haliday discovered a new and sin- 

 gular minute brachelytrous insect, which he has described under the name 

 of Diglossa mersa, and which is, like its companion, buried beneath the 

 ocean surge on every incoming tide. (A description of its larva will be 

 found, with a figure, at page 116, of the "Natural History Review," 

 vol. ii., Proceedings of Societies.) So far for the first pair, which have 

 often come beneath our notice. 



Mr. Spence, if we mistake not, also tells us of two of the coleoptera 

 having very similar habits namely, Pogonus Burrellii the habitation of 

 which is entirely covered, during the winter and part of the summer months, 

 with water ; and Bledius tricornis, which inhabits the sand-hills near the 

 sea at Ely, in Norfolk, and also the North Bull sands, near Dublin. 



The Rev. G. Rudd, writing in the " Entomological Magazine" for April, 

 1834, on the habits of Hesperophilus arenarius, says " I saw great flights 

 VOL. 11. II 



