Bibliographical Notices. 347 



Picacho de Veleta some specimens of the extremely rare Linaria gla- 

 cialis, Boiss., and several grasses, among others Trisetttm glaciale, 

 Boiss., and Festuca Clementei, Boiss. 



BIBLIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES. 



A History of the Fossil Insects of the Secondary Rocks of England. 

 By the Rev. P. B. Brodie, M.A., F.G.S. London. 1845, 8vo. 



A REMARKABLE proof is afforded by the present work of the mode in 

 which geology calls in to its assistance the different natural sciences. 

 Few would have supposed that entomology could have been made to 

 perform its part in the elucidation of the ancient physical history of 

 our planet, but here we have a work presented to us in which beau- 

 tiful representations, from the pencil of Mr. Westwood, of very many 

 fossil insects are contained. Portions of nearly all the orders have 

 been found. By far the greater number of the specimens consist of 

 the wings and elytra only, but in some instances, especially amongst 

 the Diptera, the insect is presented to us in a nearly perfect state. 



The fossils are derived from several strata. The first locality no- 

 ticed by the author is in the Purbeck strata in the Vale of Wardour 

 in Wiltshire. He there finds very numerous specimens and species, 

 chiefly however confined to a thin bed of limestone. He remarks 

 that " the remains of insects are so abundant, and present such a 

 variety of genera, that we are in this instance forcibly reminded of 

 the rich collection of these beautiful fossils in the more modern de- 

 posits of Aix and QEningen." The Coleoptera seem to have been 

 abundant, but very few perfect beetles were found, single elytra 

 being of most frequent occurrence. Amongst them are species both 

 terrestrial and aquatic, herbivorous and carnivorous, of the families 

 Buprestidce, Carabidce, Curculionidce, Chrysomelid<B, Elateridae, Cantha- 

 rid(e, Tenebrionidce and Helophoridce. Of the other orders, specimens 

 of Orthoptera, Neuroptera, Hemiptera and Diptera occur. We would 

 more especially mention a nearly perfect Acheta and very numerous 

 Tipulida. 



We are next introduced to a few imperfect specimens, but appa- 

 rently belonging to several genera from the Stonesfield slate in 

 Gloucestershire, a numerous list of the other fossils from which is 

 given. A few also occur in the Oxford clay and forest marble, which, 

 together with the Stonesfield slate, are the only strata between the 

 Purbeck and lias rocks in which remains of insects have been dis- 

 covered in England. 



In part of the lower lias of Gloucestershire, a few thin beds of 

 limestone are found to be richly stored with fossil insects; "the 

 total number of specimens submitted to Mr. Westwood amounts to 

 300." He detected many Coleoptera of the families Bnprestidde, 

 Elateridce, Curculionida, ChrysomelidcB, Carabida, Telephoridce, Dy^ 

 tiscida, Gyrinida and Melolonthidce ; also Orthoptera, Hemiptera, Ho- 

 mopteray Neuroptera (including several beautiful dragon-flies), and 

 one species of Diptera. 



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