290 ]Mr. D. Sharp's Contributions to t/ie 



and S. catena have the thorax more narrow and elongate 

 than in tlie ])recednig species, and appear to afford a con- 

 necting link between Stilico/>sis and >)'unius. The Sunides 

 boreajihiloides of Motsch. from Columbia, Avhich is re- 

 ferred in the Munich Catalogue to the genus Litliocliaris, 

 appears to be an insect allied to iS'. conjinis. The next 

 two species, S. hidens and S. bispiiius are possibly allies 

 of the Dihelonetes biplagiatus, Sahl. ; 1 say " possibly," 

 because no characters are mentioned by Sahlberg which 

 can be considered to distinguish his genus from Sunius, 

 and I am in ^i-eat doubt as to which one of several allied 

 forms he intended so to name. The two following species, 

 viz., aS'. spimfer and S. celatus, are very possibly but sexual 

 forms of one species ; they are very remarkable from the 

 great development of the two spines of the labrum. 

 S. insignis, the last of the species here described, is very 

 peculiar on account of the abruptly constricted anterior 

 portion of the thorax. From the above remarks it will 

 be inferred that Sunius and its allies offer a prominent 

 example of tliat insuj:)erable difficulty in Avhich those 

 occupied Avith descriptive zoology find themselves con- 

 stantly involved ; for while it is clear that the only idea 

 that can be formed of a genus is that of a limited aggre- 

 gate of existing species, and consequently that no genus 

 can be known till all the existing species of it are known, 

 and till whether the characters assigned to it are naturally 

 limited or not is known, — while this, I say, is clear, yet we 

 are obliged to proceed in our actual descriptions on the 

 absurd and " unthinkable " hypothesis that we know the 

 genus before we know the species. I do not think 

 naturalists have yet fully recognized this difficulty, but 

 certainly until they have recognized it and are prepared to 

 deal with it, it will be impossible that zoology can take the 

 place it is entitled to as a most charming and important 

 educational science. The present method of systematic 

 zoology is certainly irrecoucileable with a system of syn- 

 thetic and inductive science, however well adapted it may 

 have been to a period when educated minds Avere under 

 the confusing doiniiiatinu of inetaj)hysical inquiries. 



1. Sunius amicus, n. sp. Nigricans, opacus, dense 

 punctatus ; antennis, palpis, jiedibusipie fere all)idis, elytro- 

 rumaj)ice anguste testaceo ; abdomine subparallelo. Long. 

 Corp. 2^ lin. 



Antenni\3 very pale, not quite so long as head and 



