12 



under vest of a dusky greyish brown, through which pass long hairs 

 of a dusky brown at tlie base with a black band, foUowed by a yel- 

 lowish white band and tipped with black ; a mixture producing the 

 grizzled character of the fur of the body. 



The Secretary read a communication from J. O. Westwood, Esq., 

 describing several new species of Insects belonging to the family of 

 the Sacred Beetles. 



After noticing the interest which is attached to the family of the 

 Scarabceidte, not only ou account of their curious habits, ■whence they 

 •were raised to the rank of objects of worship by the Egyptians, but 

 also from having led to the publication of the Hora Entomologicce 

 by Mr. MacLeay, in which an analysis of the Linnsean Scarab<ei was 

 given ; the author gives an abstract of the classifications of this fa- 

 mily respectively proposed by MacLeay, Latreille, {Regne An., 2nd 

 edition), and Serville and Saint Fargeau {Encyclop. M^thod. vol. x.), 

 with a notice of the genera more recently proposed by various authors 

 referrible or allied thereto. From a reAiew of these distributions in 

 conjunction with the natūrai economy of the insects of which the fa- 

 mily is composed, the author is disposed to consider the family as 

 divisible into two natūrai groups, those with long hindlegs and those 

 •vvhich have their legs short and conical ; and also that the characters 

 of the genus Scarabmus and subgenus Heliocantharus mušt either be 

 modified so as to exclude the species which are destitute of a distinct 

 spur at the extremity of the intermediate tibicB, or that the Ateuchus 

 Adamastor {Enc. M^t/i.) and the insects subseąuently described mušt 

 be regarded as referrible to the genus Scarabceus, although possessing 

 t\vo spurs at the extremity of the intermediate tibi<e, agreeing in all 

 other material respects \vith the true Scarabeei. 



The following is an abstract of the characters of the insects, the 

 deseriptions of which were accompanied by figures exhibiting the 

 various essential organs in detali, and by observations upon the 

 structural peculiarities of the t-wo groups. 



TypUS SCELIAGES. 



CornMs latum, subdepressum. C«/?m? subtrigonum clypeo trilobato, 

 lobo intermedio valdfe emarginato. Antennce clava subglobosa, arti- 

 culo 7""° mao-no infernė producto, articulos duos terminales in sinu 

 eius includente, ultimo 8vo minori. Palpi maxillares breves sub- 

 filiformes, labiales abbreviati 3-articulati, articulis magnitudine de- 

 crescentibus. Thorax abdomine paullo latior. TibicB anticse magUBe, 

 pone medium intus curvatae. Tibia intermediae bicalcaratje. 



ScELIAGES loPAS. 



Ater nitidus IcBvis, clypei dentibus intermediis duobus obtusis sub- 

 elevatis, capite anticė punctatissimo, thorace Icevissimo, elytris 

 punctis jiojinullis nmiutissimis irregularibus striisgue sex longi- 

 tudinalibus simpUcibus fere obliteratis. 



Long. corp. 10 lin. Africa Austrai. Mus. Hope et P. "VValker. 



