Zoological Society, 343 



posticorum indivisi reliquorum ex unguibus unus bifidus, alter in- 

 divisus. 



*' It is in the warm and tropical regions of the world that we find 

 vastness one of the leading characteristics of animal life. It is in 

 the same regions also, amongst the class of insects, that we find a 

 corresponding magnitude attended with a wonde^'ful increase of spe- 

 cies, many examples of which might here be mentioned. It is suf- 

 ficient for our purpose at present to note only a few of them, such 

 as the Sternocera, among the Buprestidce ; Lamia, belonging to the 

 Longicorn beetles, and Melolontha and Euchlora, well-known genera 

 pertaining to the Lamellicorns. With regard to vegetation, there 

 will also be found an equal magnitude of stature and a luxuriance 

 of foliage quite in proportion to what occurs even in the animal 

 world. If we look to the tropical regions of Asia, Africa, and Ame- 

 rica, we shall find a similarity of character generally predominating : 

 but it is in the tropical jungle chiefly, and on the banks and estuaries 

 of mighty rivers, that insects will be found, not only formidable by 

 their size, but remarkably numerous in species and individuals. The 

 genus Euchlora of Mr. MacLeay, to which at present I wish to 

 draw your attention, is not very distinguished for its size, although 

 larger than all the allied genera belonging to the family. The pre- 

 dominating colour is green, and the abundance of individuals be- 

 longing to some of the species is incalculable. I may mention, en 

 passant, that the thousands which have annually been imported 

 into Europe, appear from inquiry not in the least to have thinned 

 their numbers. On one occasion I received forty Chinese boxes, 

 and in each of them (I speak greatly within bounds) there were at 

 least twenty specimens of Euchlora viridis. These boxes are im- 

 ported into England, and other parts of Europe, in great quantities, 

 and there is scarcely a museum at home or abroad, however insig- 

 nificant it may be, but exhibits its Atlas Moths, its purple-coloured 

 Sagra, and less attractive Euchlora, in tolerable profusion. I have 

 stated above that the prevailing colour of the species is green, but 

 there are some exceptions. The under side of some of them is 

 usually a bronze, or a rose-coloured copper ; some of them green 

 above and beneath ; others green above and yellow beneath ; while 

 some again are blue on the same side, with the play of light appearing 

 of a violet colour. With regard to the colour of insects, greens, as far 

 as my observations go, naturally on one side merge into blues and 

 violets, and on the other into orange and yellows. Instead of occu- 

 pying the time of the meeting with a question at present (as far as 

 regards insects) comparatively little studied or understood, I pro- 



