BY H. J. CARTER. 89 



Section i. lias already been discussed by Blackburn, and his 

 suggestion that the study of the external margin of the prothorax 

 and elytra would give valuable results is fully endorsed by the 

 present writer. I regret the want of opportunity of examining 

 his types closely, as it is doubtful if he has always allowed 

 enough for the natural variations of tlie variable species of this 

 genus. Thus H. aridus Blackb., seems to me to be the same, or 

 at most but a variety of H. princeps Macl.(Hope'?). The distinc- 

 tion drawn by the author of the first, lies in the absence of the 

 carina on the prothorax of H. aridus, which is present in //. 

 princeps. In the Macleay Museum are two specimens labelled 

 II. princeps Hope, by Macleay. In one of these this carina is 

 distinct, in the other specimen it is almost obsolete. They are 

 from the same district, and are evidently conspecific. There is 

 a large collection of duplicates from the interior of South Aus- 

 tralia, which show the same variation. This fact throws some 

 doubt as to the value of H. aridus Blackb., as a distinct species, 

 and can, I consider, only be admitted as a variety of the species 

 passing for H. 2^rinceps Hope. Another character — that by 

 which II. lubricus Blackb., is distinguished from the two preced- 

 ing in the table — is " sutural carina of elytra (viewed from the 

 side) being parallel with the edge of the lateral margin and 

 straight in the middle (about half) part of its length." This 

 character, depending only on the convexity of the disc, might be 

 and is often only a sexual difference, and without several 

 examples should not be used to differentiate species. 



H. subseriatus Blackb., and //. elongatus Blackb. — The author 

 distinguishes between these by the elytral punctures of the 

 former being extremely fine, and of the latter very distinct. I 

 have had several s[)ecimens identified readily as II. subseriatus 

 from Nungarra, W.A. (sent by Mr. Giles), and one specimen 

 which I identify as 11. elongatus from Kalgourlie. These species, 

 though closely allied, are, I consider, quite distinct. 



H. Brownii Kirby. — This species was omitted by Mr. Black- 

 burn from his table. There is a specimen in the Macleay 

 INl useum whicli is, I believe, correctly identified. The lateral 



