FRENCH FAUNA, COLEOPTERA. 33 



a sacrifice to its identity with Omalium brevipenne Gyll. ; here the authors 

 should have gone back further still, to recognize in this species the Staphy- 

 linus marinus Strosm. Arpedium humile, of Erichson's classical, work on 

 the Staphylini, appears here — upon what principle we can hardly guess — 

 under the more recent trivial name of myops Hal. ; but it has escaped them 

 that this insect, so common on Ulex wherever the plant grows, was first 

 described by Stephens, as Omalium subpubescens. 



We observe that Mr. Jacquelin-Duval, the pains-taking monographer 

 of the Bembidia of Europe, has been rather severe on both Mr. Dawson 

 and the authors of the Faune Francaise ; because they have chosen to de- 

 part from his conclusions in some cases, without having had as copious 

 materials as he at their disposal. The critic seems to have taken his 

 objects clearly at a disadvantage on one or two points ; but we protest 

 against the general spirit of his attack, which goes to confound credibility 

 of testimony and infallibility of judgment, treating a difference of opinion 

 as little short of a personal affront. 



While we desire to introduce the Faune Francaise to English Entomolo- 

 gists, who want to name their collections of Coleoptera on some authority 

 better accommodated to the actual progress of the science than we can 

 aver Stephens' Manual now to be ; we must not pass over, without notice, 

 one inconvenience in the use of it, resulting from the want of an index of 

 the species to the first volume. It is, no doubt, intended to give a ge- 

 neral index at the end of the complete work ; but that may be rather long 

 to wait for such an almost necessary save-time. The authors seem already 

 to have discovered that the pace at which they originally proposed to bring 

 out the parts was impracticable, having regard to the proper preparation 

 of the matter. The first part came out in 1854 ; the third, which com- 

 pletes the volume, has not been very many weeks in our hands : never- 

 theless, the several Parts, as well as the title-page of the Volume, bear the 

 date 1854. This " dies praepostera" is a petty artifice, which we regret to 

 see sometimes practised by the French authors and publishers in particular, 

 " pour prendre date." We would, with all becoming diffidence, venture to 

 recommend for imitation the conscientious practice of some other writers — 

 J. Curtis for example — who have attached the date of actual publication, 

 not only year and month, but the precise day of the month, to every single 

 plate which came out in periodical parts. 



Later in its commencement than the Faune Francaise, but of much 

 deeper scientific import, and more comprehensive in its scope, is the continua- 

 tion of Erichson's Insekten Deutschlands, undertaken by Dr. Schaum 



