108 



the delicate bloom, like that which ornaments the 

 plum, to which Mr. Kirby has appropriately given 

 the term pruinosus. The insects belonging to 

 Calonota resemble the opalescence of minerals, at 

 one time imitating the fire-stone or Lumachelli 

 marble, at another the beauty of the Labrador 

 Feldspars. It is an object well worthy of enquiry 

 what causes these variations of colour, a subject 

 scarcely investigated and little understood. 



Genus. Liparetra, Kirby. 

 Type of the Genus. Melolontha Sylvicola, Fah. 



Nasus apice truncatus. 



AntenncB O-articulatse. 



Palpi articulo extimo obovato. 



Corpus crassura podice magno. 



Elytra abdomine breviora. 



Unguiculi simplices. 



Cubitus 3-dentatus dentibus obtusis. 



To this genus may be added Melolontha Monti- 

 cola, Fab., and about twenty undescribed species in 

 my collection. It is possible that the Clypeus 

 varies in the sexes of the species belonging to this 

 oenus ; should such l)e the case, the characters 

 can be changed when the point is ascertained. 



