North American Histeroides. 33 



been received from this country. In the following pages sev- 

 enty-five species are described ; probably not more than one 

 half of what may be hereafter discovered ; for we have seen 

 none that inhabit the northern and western parts of the conti- 

 nent, the region of the Rocky Mountains, and the country 

 beyond them, where all the productions of nature differ so re- 

 markably from what are found on the Atlantic coast. One 

 species of Saprinus from the Oregon Territory, which we have 

 seen, differed remarkably from every other species of the 

 genus ; it could not be considered as having any striae on the 

 elytra. Eleven other species of this genus are said to have 

 been brought from the same country, but not a single Hister. 



Hereafter it may be necessary to add a supplement to this 

 paper, which we shall not fail to do, whenever a sufficient 

 number of species shall be collected to render it proper. 



In following Mr. Erichson's distribution of this family into 

 the genera which he has proposed in Klug's Entomological 

 Annual, it is by no means to be understood, that an unqual- 

 ified approbation is given to the arrangement of that distin- 

 guished naturalist. Many of the generic characters on which 

 he seems to place the greatest reliance, are far from being so 

 apparent as he supposes ; and they frequently bring together 

 species whose form, or habit, or manners ought to have placed 

 them far from each other. We have not however, attempted 

 to remove any of these from the genera in which he has placed 

 them ; but have been satisfied with pointing out the more ev- 

 ident discrepancies. 



The figures have been drawn by my son with the greatest 

 care, and it is hoped, will in all cases, be found entirely 

 correct. The Saprinus dimidiatipennis scarcely differing, 

 except in color, from the S. palmatus, the invariable marks 

 on both being the same, it was thought that one figure would 

 answer ; they have accordingly been both referred to the same. 



In the nomenclature, the name given to the insect by the 

 first describer, has been scrupulously preserved, and in no in- 

 stance has any species been considered as new, when it was 



VOL. V. 3 



