254 GEO. H. HORN, M. D, 



the latter in the highest possible terms. My reasoo for soeking an- 

 other method i.><. tliat while species in our fauna which are so evidently 

 allied in many of their characters are widely separated, (e. g., jnirpuri- 

 coUis and niger\ others very dissimilar are placed iu close proximity, 

 (e. g., tomentosns and citmati/i.^). 



Group III. will be seen to be composed of rather heterogeneous 

 material. These remarks must not be interpreted as criticisujs, except 

 in the mildest sense, and it is probable that any method of classifica- 

 tion based on a fauna as limited as our own will prove inadequate in 

 the larger field. 



Having become convinced that our species in which the thorax at 

 base was as wide as the elytra, should be placed in proximity in any 

 natural arrangement, the difficulty arose in finding some natural cha- 

 racter which would associate them. This I at last found in the middle 

 tibiaa of the males. In more than one-half of our species the males 

 have a pubescent apace of greater or less extent at the distal end of 

 the middle tibiae, which is usually on the outer edge sometimes in the 

 front, the other species have glabrous tibi* with merely the terminal 

 fringe of fine spinules. With this as a starting point the divisions 

 based on the punctuation of the abdomen and other characters made 

 use of by Chaudoir can be more readily brought in. 



The dilatation of the palpi in purpuricollis and tomeniosus, seemed 

 to me too important a character to lose sight of, and although no men- 

 tion of it is made in the table, it should be given its proper weight in 

 influencing the relative position of the species possessing it. 



In our fauna nifjer is the central form of a group of species with a 

 peculiar thoracic sculpture, formed of large punctures arranged at the 

 sides, along the median line, and in and continuing the basal impres- 

 sion, the intervening spaces being smooth and more or less elevated. 

 C. tomentostis even, preserves a trace of this sculpture. 



C. cumnti/is seems to associate more naturally with the cordicollis 

 group, and would appear much out of place in our series near 

 tuwento^mx. 



Our other species possess no characters worthy of special comment, 

 any peculiarities will be mentioned either in the table or the accom- 

 panying notes. Detailed diagnoses will not be given except where 

 new species are described. In the arrangement of a cabinet it would 

 probably be more natural to reverse the order of the table, this more- 

 over would not greatly disturb the present position of most of the 

 species. 



