74 COLEOPTERA. 



and not the rule, for any species to remain unaltered, either 

 in jDosition, value, name or parentap^e, it will be at once seen 

 that the limited space at my disposal, combined with the 

 recent date of publication of the work in question, will pre- 

 vent me from giving it such a notice in detail as it deserves. 



I have no doubt however that Mr. Crotch has ample 

 proofs and reasons, satisfactory at least to himself, for his 

 alterations in the nomenclature now commonly in use with 

 us; and that he will be ready to establish them with suf- 

 ficient evidence, whenever called upon to do so by any Co- 

 leopterist who feels an interest in the subject; and with 

 regard to the new species he has introduced, I certainly 

 think it incumbent upon him to furnish all the information 

 that he possesses about them with as little delay as possible. 



Every one has a right to be guided entirely by his own 

 judgment as to the combination of characters sufficient to 

 distinguish a species from a variety, or as to grouping and 

 transposing species, genera and families, but the test of cor- 

 rectness of opinion appears to me to consist in being able to 

 persuade other observers to adopt one's views ; it is therefore 

 open to Mr. Crotch either himself to elevate varieties into 

 the rank of species, and to sink species as varieties (with 

 or without notes of interrogation), or to follow others who 

 have done so ; even when Clivina collaris and fossovj An- 

 chomenus mcestus and viduusy and Geotrupes mutator and 

 stercorariiis, are (amongst many similar) respectively con- 

 sidered by him as specifically identical. Nor ought we to 

 make any remark (except perhaps one of surprise) when the 

 highly developed and eminently predatorial Bi'achelytra 

 are degraded to the end of the list, and made to include the 

 little abortion Claviger and the Pselaplndce of feeble orga- 

 nization : — nor when the Stylojndce are introduced into the 

 order : — nor when the Trimera are made immediately to 

 precede the Meteromera (apparently on account of Lycoper- 



