BY WILLiAM MACLEAY, F.L.S., ETC. 1019 



water-beetles, and 24 of Staphylinidce, both far above the Australian 

 average. The Lamellicornes number only 17 species, all with the 

 exception of one Trox, very ordinary looking things; no Oetoniidce 

 and no Rutelidce. The absence of Euprestidce is still more notice- 

 able, Stigmodera Duboulayi, Saund., being the only representative 

 of that thoroughly Australian and almost universally prevalent 

 genus. The Sternoxi generally are very few, the Malacoderms 

 fewer. The Heteromera are few and not in any way remarkable ; 

 the Curculionidce are chiefly very minute, and decidedly under the 

 usual numerical proportion to other insects. There are only 16 

 species of Longicornes, all common forms. The Phytophagous 

 Tetramera are numerous enough. The anomalous character of the 

 collection must not however be too readily accepted as an index 

 of the fauna. Various circumstances may account for the absence 

 of some groups and the prevalence of others ; for instance, the 

 paucity of the Euprestidce and anthophilous Lamellicornes may be 

 owing to the season of the year being unsuitable ; the end of the 

 rainy season is generally looked upon as the proper time for the 

 appearance of these insects. Again, the disproportionate number of 

 tarahidcs such as Clivina, Bemhidiuni, Trechus, and of water-beetles 

 and Stajohyiinidoi may only show that Mr. Froggatt had chiefly 

 collected during the dry season on the alluvial banks of the 

 streams near the coast. 



I may state that, as far as I can judge from present observa- 

 tions, quite one-third of the species are new. The Lepidop- 

 tera — chiefly diurnal — more resemble those of Ne^v^ South Wales 

 than of Ncrth Australia ; the beautiful butterflies of Northern 

 Queensland of Papuan afiinity are entirely absent, the only Papilio 

 being Sthenelus,Sind PierisTeutonia is apparently the most common 

 species. The only novelties are Danais Fetilia and clirysippus. 

 The Orthoptera are few in number, but seem entirely different 

 from those of Eastern and Northern Australia ; and indeed the 

 same may be said of the Hemiptera, Hymenoptera, and Diptera ; 

 but the collection in these orders is very limited in numbers. 



