GEOLOGICAL DISTRIBUTION. 70 



the characters of the " Neuroptera and Hemiptera. It is a 

 large insect, spreading about two inches ; its body must have 

 measured over an inch in length. 



In the Mesozoic rocks, the celebrated Solenhofen localit}- in 

 Bavaria is rich in Liassic insect-remains. Dr. Hagen (Ento- 

 mologist's Annual, London, 1862) strAes that among the Solen- 

 hofen fossils the Neuroptera and Orthoptera are most largely 

 represented ; as out of four hundred and fifty species of insects, 

 one hundred and fifty are Neuroptera, of which one hundred 

 and thirty-six are Dragon-flies, and besides "there is a Cory- 

 dalns, one CJirysopa, a large Apochrysa., and a beautiful 

 Nymjyhes. The last two genera, which do not seem very remote 

 from Chrysojjct, are now found onl}' in the Southern Hemi- 

 sphere, NymjyJies is peculiarly an Australian genus." 



The Lias of England is very rich in fossil insects, especiall}- 

 the Purbeck and Rhoetic Beds (see Brodie's Work on Fos- 

 sil Insects and also Westwood in the Geological Journal, etc. 

 Vol. X.). 



In the Trias, or New-Red Sandstone of the Connecticut 

 Valley, Professor Hitchcock has found numerous remains of 

 the larva of an aquatic Coleopterous insect. 



The insects of the Tertiary formation more closely resemble 

 those of the present day. The most celebrated European 

 localit}- is Qilningen in Switzerland. 



According to Professor O. Heer, over five thousand specimens 

 of fossil insects have been found at Q^^ningen, comprising 844 

 species, of which 518 are Coleopterous. From all Tertiary 

 Europe there are 1,322 species, as follows : 16G Hymenoptera, 

 18 Lepidoptera, 166 Diptera, 660 Coleoptera, 217 Hemiptera. 

 39 Orthoptera, and 56 Neuroptera. 



"If we inquire to what insect-fauna of the present period 

 the Tertiary fauna is most analogous, we shall be surprised to 

 find that most of the species belong to genera actually found iii 

 the old and the new world. The insect-fauna of OEningen con- 

 tains 180 genera of this category', of which 114 belong to the 

 Coleoptera. Of these last, two (Dineutes and Caryborus) re- 

 main in Europe, while all the others are now found living both 

 in Europe and in America. The whole number of Coleopterous 

 genera furnished by CEningen, and known to me, amount to 



