292 Transactions. 



The whole of Sunday Island is very rough, broken country, being almost 

 everywhere a succession of steep, narrow ridges upwards of 1,000 ft. high, 

 and intervening ravines, where, unfortunately, except in the crater, no water 

 fit for drinking can be obtained. 



The party took from Auckland supplies of flour, sugar, tea, salt, &c. ; 

 but for meat, goats had to be hunted, fish caught, and mutton-birds caught 

 and preserved, occupations which, together with cooking, necessarily ab- 

 sorbed a considerable amount of time. 



At first, many insects that had been captured under such unfavourable 

 conditions were destroyed by ants and rats, which latter swarm to such an 

 extent that it appears wonderful how they find enough food. One source of 

 supply, no doubt, consisted formerly of the larger insects and grubs, as only 

 a single specimen of moderately large size could be found during the ten 

 months the expedition resided there. 



I have endeavoured to make this memoir complete, not only by de- 

 scribing the novelties, but, without entering into minute details of generic 

 structiire, also giving such descriptions of exotic species as will enable them 

 to be identified without referring to books which, imfortunately, are not 

 procurable by students living in this Dominion. Those species that are 

 also found in New Zealand, amounting to more than half of this collection,^ 

 are included in the following list. AVith two or three exceptions their de- 

 scriptions will be found in the " Manual of New Zealand Coleoptera." One, 

 however, having been erroneously described in London under another 

 name, has been fully redescribed. 



LIST OF COLEOPTERA. 



Group Carabid^. 



1. Cyloihorax insularis, Motsch. Sunday, Macauley, and Curtis Islands? 



also in New Zealand. 



Group Hydroporid^. 



2. Bidessus plicatus, Sharp. Sunday Island and New Zealand. 



Group CoLYMBETIDiE. 



3. Rhantus pulverosus, Stephens. Sunday Island and New Zealand. 



Group Hydrophilid.e. 



4. Philydrus tritus, Broun. Sunday Island and New Zealand. 



Group Staphylinid^. 



5. Creophilus oculatus, Fabr. Sunday Island and New Zealand. 



Group Xantholinid^. 



6. Xaniholinus socius, Fauvel. Sunday Island and New Zealand. 



Group Omalid^. 



7. Omalium fossigerum, Fauvel. Sunday Island and New Zealand. 



Group Carpophilid^. 



8. Carpophilus vittiger, Matth. Sunday Island and Polynesia. 



