139 



ridcey I Avas struck by the absurdity of calling this the larva 

 of Anthia the moment I saw Lequien's figure in Gu(irin''s 

 Magazine, for it is as near as possible to the larva of Elater 

 oculahis, which I have had in keeping, and from which I have 

 raised the perfect insect. Moreover, I made, some years ao-o, 

 a very exact outline drawing of this larva of E. oculatiis, [PL 

 IV, figs. 1-3], which, on comparison with Lequien's figure, con- 

 firms my first impressions. On page 156, Mr. Westwood says 

 that " Mr. Brulle has very recently noticed the existence of a 

 single minute tubercle 'upon the forehead of some of the Der- 

 mestidce, which has all the appearance of an ocellus. Mr. 

 Curris had, however, discovered its existence in the genera 

 Megatoma and Attagenus in 1829." Now, in the year 1831, I 

 did not know anything of Mr. Curtis's discoveries, but, for some 

 time previous, had noticed the same thing ; and in the copy of a 

 letter (I always keep copies of my letters) to Dr. McMurtrie, 

 dated July 19, 1831, 1 find the fact thus recorded : " The exist- 

 ence of stemmata " (ocelU are thus named by Linnaeus) 

 " among Coleoptera has, I believe, been considered as confined 

 to the genus Omalium and its affinities. On closely examining 

 some species of Anthrenus, ~ I detected a large conspicuous 

 stemma in the middle of the front, and found that it existed in 

 all the American and European insects of that genus in my 

 cabinet, and also was found in Attagenus peUio, though it is not 

 so distinct as in some Anthreni; but not in Dennestes and 

 Byrrlms. Why some of these insects should have these little 

 eyes, and others should be destitute of them, I cannot divine, 

 particularly as their habits are so closely alike." 



The more I think of the Bomhyces^ etc., so much the more 

 am I dissatisfied with a linear arrangment of them. May they 

 not be resolved into two series ? 1. Boynhyces verce^ — to con- 

 tain the Attacidce, Bombyciadoe, Lipariadce, Arctiadce and 

 Litliosiadce, 2. Pseudo-Bomhyces^ — to contain the Ceratocam- 

 piadce, Zeuzeriadce, Psycliiadce^ Notodontiadce, and perhaps the 

 Apateliad(E. The characters of the Bomhyces. verce, as derived 



