189 
New Species of Exotic Insects. 
so interesting a series, I requested our Secretary to place them 
before the next meeting ; as however I wished him to make a few 
remarks upon them, explanatory of my views, he (as I have since 
thought very properly) declined doing the latter,* as there was a 
risk of his not having clearly understood my meaning. I had no 
time to put my remarks upon paper ; the insects were therefore 
returned to the friends who had been so kind as to lend them to 
me. I may remark that the greater portion of them were from the 
collection of our liberal president, the Rev. F. W. Hope. 
This collection consisted chiefly of Coleopterous insects, and 
among them I had most of the more curious forms observed in the 
section Heteromera , — my object being to show that the species 
thus selected were analogous representations of other groups of 
beetles ; that is to say, that they departed from their own group 
in certain characters of form, colour, &c., and that in these respects 
they appeared to have borrowed (if we may use such a term) the 
characters of other groups of the same order, to which they bear 
such a resemblance that they might at first sight be mistaken for 
species belonging to those groups ; and we often observe that 
the markings vary according to the habits of the individuals. 
Let us take the genus Colymbetes, for instance. We find that for 
the most part those species which live in stagnant waters are im- 
maculate, whilst those which live in running streams are spotted. 
Now although in these instances we may be willing to allow that 
the markings are connected with the habits, yet we are not aware 
for what reason. 
Considering, therefore, that we are comparatively ignorant of 
the connection between the habits and structure of insects, beyond 
that it exists ; in talking of the analogy which is found between 
two insects, as before stated, I allude only to a resemblance of 
form or in colour. 
Whilst examining various collections of insects, at first when I 
perceived these resemblances I was inclined to believe that there 
existed a positive affinity between certain species of one group 
and those of several other groups ; i. e. that each group not only 
possessed affinities to that immediately preceding and the one 
following, but that it possessed affinities to many other groups. 
I however found that I never could trace a positive linking of one 
group to more than two others, — that which preceded it and that 
which followed. I therefore felt compelled to give up my theory, 
which I afterwards had approached to one already made known — 
* The series was exhibited at the meeting of the Entomological Society on the 
2nd February, 1835. Sec Journal of Proceedings. 
