214 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST 



lightly at first ; its counterfeit presentment appeared each month for a 

 whole year on the cover of an entomological journal thus labelled, and I 

 began to realize, as never before, the irrevocableness of things. I sought 

 advice, and received much and diverse counsel. But the consensus of 

 opinion seemed to be that, as the beetle was now so well known by the 

 name I had unconsciously given, it had best retain it, and that a proper 

 description with figures should be at once published. 



I asked my friend, Mr. Frederick Blanchard, to prepare such a 

 description, and he kindly consented to do this. But he courteously 

 insisted upon my name remaining as authority for the specific, if not the 

 generic, title. My first discovery was made in May, 1902. For two years 

 after this I examined my insect boxes at intervals, but found no trace of 

 the little pests. But in May, 1904, I again found them in the same closet 

 where they occurred previously. This time I found with them one 

 specimen of the larviform female and several larvee. Mr. Joutel, our 

 well-known, careful and skilled artist, made drawings of the beelle in its 

 different stages. Mr. Blanchard for many reasons has been unable 

 until recently to complete the promised diagnosis. I give herewith 

 a description of the species, owning frankly that 1 could not have 

 written it without much assistance from Mr. Blanchard. Let me add 

 that since I first found Ignotus it has been recognized as a pest among 

 the collections of the Public Museum of Milwaukee, as told me by Mr. 

 C= T. Brues. In this case the beetle was found among land shells and 

 other specimens " practically from all parts of the world." Of what 

 country the mysterious unknown is a native we do not know. Perhaps 

 the following description and Mr. Joutel's excellent drawings may assist us 

 to solve the problem. I'hen, when we learn what euphonious name the 

 unknown enigma bears in some far-away land, and its lately-given title 

 vanishes into that bourne from which no synonym returns, nobody will 

 regret less than its unfortunate sponsor to see it 



" Suffer a sea change 



Into something rich and strange." 



The Characters ov Ignotus (plates 6 and 7). 



Head suborbicular, constricted far behind the eyes, deflexed and much 

 narrowed in front, the labriim short, transverse, and with the very small 

 mouth a little reflexed, the frontal sutur-e not obvious. The oral organs 



