252 - t^P"'- 



Further notes on collecting in St. Helena. — I take the opportunity of a temporary 

 calm on tlie line (when otherwise than a horizontal posture is practicable) to send 

 a few notes — just to say that we have at last left St. Helena, and are now steaming 

 up, at thirteen knots an hour, to Madeira. 



We have had six mouths in the land of Cossonidce (at least thrco longer than 

 we originally intended), resulting, of course, in a perfect raid amongst its vert/ limited, 

 but, nevertheless, most peculiar and intei-esting fauna. I say " very limited " because 

 all my efforts with net, hands, and sifter, have, I suspect, scarcely brought up my 

 Coleopterous list to much above 200 species, and that too in spite of at least 10,000 

 specimens mounted, and already examined with some amount of care. The fact is, 

 that, in that remote and weather-beaten little spot, whole families and departments, 

 wliieh are more or less represented almost everywhere, are entirely wanting ; and 

 you may use the sweeping-net over miles of grassy mountain-slopes (covered with a 

 yellow kind of dandelion, much as one sees in North Wales) without finding a single 

 flower-infestcr, or anything approaching to it. Your net, on examination, is simply 

 empty. There seem to be no Hydradephaga, although there are plenty of small streams ; 

 no indigenous Longicorns (merely two imported species) ; no indigenous Hecrophaga 

 (as usually understood by that term) ; and very few Heteromera and Brachelytra. 

 As I always anticipated (years ago) , and over and over again stated would be the 

 case, the Rhynchophora monopolize the lion's share of the fauna, some half-a-dozen 

 types being developed to so marvellous an extent as occasionally to exhibit forms 

 that are well-nigh ludicrous. Nearly all these types circle round Microxylobius and 

 Stenoscelis of the Cossonidce, and Notioxenus of the Anthribidce ; and I strongly 

 suspect that future calcxilations vrill bring to light the wonderful fact that about a 

 quarter of the entire Coleopterous fauna of the island are Cossonidce ! This is pretty 

 well, considering that in Great Britain, out of a fauna of, I suppose, more than 3000, 

 the CossonidcB number only eight or nine species, and one or two of even those may 

 perhaps have been introduced. In St. Helena all of them (except possibly one) arc, 

 par excellence, aboriginal ; so that I, who curiously enough happened to have made 

 the CossonidcB my particular friends, have certainly tumbled on my legs in this little 

 oceanic preserve of the southern Atlantic. The worst of it is, in spite of all our 

 exertions and constant work, I have absolutely not met with the Microxi/lobius type, 

 — the insignificant 3f. Westiooodi, which has been unique and classical for now nearly 

 fifty years in an English cabinet, having altogether escaped us ! Still, having myself 

 examined it formerly with great care, I see enoiigh of its affinities to be almost sure 

 of its habitat ; and I have left directions with a young and rising entomologist in 

 the island, which I hope will result in his turning it out at no distant time, and when 

 the season for the " scrub-wood" (which is the localnamefor oneof the most distinct 

 of the indigenous arborescent Compositce) again comes round. 



The Carabidoi are represented by two species of Calosoma, the widely-spread 

 JPristont/chus complanatus, the great Haplothorax Burchelli (of which we were too 

 late in the year to see more than the dead remains), and about eleven most remarkable 

 and extremely indigenous Bembidia. The latter chiefly reside within the damp and 

 rotteu stems (at the highest elevations) of the tree-ferns ! 



The minute Anthribids, comprised (unless others should have to be established) 

 in my genera Notioxenus and llomoeodera, are almost as distinct, inter se, and curious, 

 as the members of the Cossonidce. * 



