PREFACE. VI 1 



live joints and tlie posterior pair four joints. 

 This system, being subject to a great number of 

 exceptions, fell into disuse, and it became usual 

 to recognise no sections superior to families. 

 This, however, appears to be so contrary to nature 

 that I have felt compelled to attempt to unite 

 the families in groups by a combination of 

 characters. In doing this I have had to remove 

 the Erotylidae, CoccinelUdae and Endomychidae 

 from their usual position at the end of the series 

 of Coleoptera to the Clavicornia (a group the 

 component parts of which vary greatly in tarsal 

 structure and in food), and also to place the 

 Bruchidae in the Phytophaga instead of the 

 Bhynchophora. The Stylopidae, which until lately 

 were regarded as a distinct order, but have since 

 been admitted, as it were under protest, among the 

 Heteromera, in spite of their tarsal structure, I 

 have placed at the end of the list, considering 

 their peculiar thoracic formation to require their 

 separation from all the other Coleoptera, without 

 however demanding their exclusion from the 

 order. In consequence of their affinities with the 

 Bhipiphoridae, etc., I have located the Hetero- 

 mera immediately before them. 



