I 441 ] 



ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 

 [Continued from p. 216.] 



January 24, 1837 (continued). — Mr. Martin described a species of 

 Foa^ brought by Mr. Darwin from the island of Chiloe, respecting 

 which he made some remarks which will be found in No. xlix. of the 

 Proceedings. He characterized it under the specific title fulvipes* . 



The Secretary read a communication from J. O. Westwood, Esq., 

 describing several new species of Insects belonging to the family of 

 the Sacred Beetles. 



After noticing the interest which is attached to the family of the 

 Scarabaeidce, not only on account of their curious habits, whence they 

 were raised to the rank of objects of worship by the Egyptians, but 

 also from having led to the publication of the Hora Entomologies 

 by Mr. MacLeay, in which an analysis of the Linnsean Scarahcei was 

 given ; the author gives an abstract of the classifications of this fa- 

 mily respectively proposed by MacLeay, Latreille, (Regne An., 2nd 

 edition), and Serville and Saint Fargeau {Encyclop. Method, vol. x.), 

 with a notice of the genera more recently proposed by various authors 

 referrible or allied thereto. From a review of these distributions in 

 conjunction with the natural economy of the insects of which the fa- 

 mily is composed, the author is disposed to consider the family as 

 divisible into two natural groups, those with long hind legs and those 

 which have their legs short and conical ; and also that the characters 

 of the genus Scarabceus and subgenus Heliocantharus must either be 

 modified so as to exclude the species which are destitute of a distinct 

 spur at the extremity of the intermediate tibice, or that the Ateuchus 

 Adamastor (Enc. Meth.) and the insects subsequently described must 

 be regarded as referrible to the genus Scarabceus, although possessing 

 two spurs at the extremity of the intermediate tibia, agreeing in all 

 other material respects with the true Scarabai. 



The following is an abstract of the characters of the insects, the 

 descriptions of which were accompanied by figures exhibiting the 

 various essential organs in detail, and by observations upon the 

 structural peculiarities of the two groups. 



TypUS SCELIAGES. 



CorpMS latum, subdepressum. CapM^ subtrigonum clypeo trilobato, 

 lobo intermedio vald^ emarginato. Antenna clava subglobos£i, arti- 

 culo 7"™° magno infern^ producto, articulos duos terminales in sinu 

 ejus includente, ultimo 8vo minori. Palpi maxillares breves sub- 

 filiformes, labiales abbreviati 3-articulati, articulis magnitudine de- 

 crescentibus. Thorax abdomine pauUo latior. Tibia anticae magnse, 

 pone medium intus curvatse. Tibice intermediae bicalcaratse. 



Species, Sceliages lopas, from South Africa. 



* In order to avoid repetition we will here state that in all cases in 

 which new species or groups are stated to have been characterized, in our 

 reports of the meetings of the Zoological Society, their characters will be 

 found in the" Proceedings" of the Society for the meeting in question. — 

 Edit. 



