ZOOLOGY. 



THE COLEOPTERA OF THE SCOTCH FIR. 



By D. Sharp, M.B. 



EEING that the Scotch fir is among the most striking and 

 w -' best known of the indigenous trees found in the Highlands 

 of Scotland, it has struck me that a list of the Coleoptera depen- 

 dent on it for their existence in this country may be accept - 

 able to Scotch naturalists. I have appended a few remarks to 

 the list, and shewing, as these do, how much has still to be 

 done to work out the Natural History of the insects alluded to, 



1 hope they may be the means of inducing the entomologists 

 of Scotland to further elucidate this interesting subject. 



The insects of an allied species of pine, the Pinus maritimns 

 of the Landes, have been studied and described by M. Perris, 

 with a care and completeness worthy of all praise, and I am 

 sure that any Scotch naturalist who has the means of observing 

 and studying the insects of the Scotch fir, and will give us the 

 results of his observations, will at the same time find a most 

 agreeable occupation for himself, and render a real service to 

 science. 



One of the most important of the remaining ancient forests of 

 this tree in Scotland is to be found at Rannoch, in Perthshire, 

 and this locality, (possessing so many charms for the lovers of 

 the beautiful, as well as for the student of nature,) having been 

 well worked by entomologists, has afforded a large proportion 

 of the rarer of the species here enumerated. No doubt if other 

 forests of this tree were well searched many of the species as 

 yet supposed to be confined to Rannoch would be discovered 

 elsewhere, and it may confidently be expected that others quite 

 new would be added to the list. 



