BRITISFI CHRYSIDID.E. 163 



it has struck me as remarkable, that Vars. 1 (the type) 

 and 2, agree together in general habit and sculpture, as do 

 also Vars. 3 and 4. In the former two varieties the effulgence 

 of the abdomen is greatest, having smooth portions, but in the 

 latter two, it is uniformly punctured throughout, which gives 

 them a more opaque appearance ; and even those which have a 

 golden glow are less vivid than in the two first varieties. In 

 these, both sexes appear to be mixed, but there are fewer males 

 than females. Var. 3 appears to consist entirely of females, 

 and Var. 4 of males ; these, perhaps, may constitute species, 

 viz. 1 and 2, one, and 3 and 4, another. I have not data 

 sufficient to found any hypothesis upon as to their habits, or 

 thence to separate them, as I have omitted distinguishing those 

 which I have collected upon old road rails, &c., from those 

 that I have taken upon sand; but this description of them may 

 perhaps lead to some satisfactory result in giving a clue for 

 entomologists to thread the maze by. Species in other orders 

 have certainly been established upon much less tangible 

 characters, and therefore, although I have considered them as 

 varieties merely of one insect, I have given them names, which 

 can be rejected or adopted at pleasure. In general habit, Vars. 

 5 and 6 resemble 3 and 4, but too few have occurred to 

 admit of my considering them more than varieties ; upon which 

 subject I may observe, that we find, throughout the domains 

 of nature, some genera and species have a constant inclination 

 to vary from their types, whereas, others are constantly true 

 to one peculiar structure. This species, therefore, may possi- 

 bly admit of being classed amongst the regular irregularities. 



Sp. 2. Chr. Ruddii. 



Head, first and second joints of the antennae, and legs, excepting 

 the tarsi, of a rich green or blue, more or less splashed with gold ; 

 the collar and scutellum more or less cupreus ; the tarsi and fla- 

 gellum of the antennae black : the abdomen of a rich carmine 

 pink, opaque, and occasionally with a golden glow, very densely 

 and minutely punctured with a slight longitudinal carina along 

 the centre, becoming obsolete on the third segment : the terminal 

 teeth approximating to Var. 2 of Chry. ignita. (Length 4 — 5 

 lines.) 



It will be expected that 1 should give my reasons for con- 

 sidering this, which has the same distribution of colour as all 



