400 Mr. Mars ham's Account of 



deavouring to extricate itself from the wood which formed part 

 of the desk. Mr. Montague with his penknife carefully released 

 it from its cell, and it proved to be a beautiful coleopterous 

 insect, of the genus Biiprestis, full of strength and vigour. ']"he 

 desk, which is 8 feet 9 inches long and 3 feet 5 inches wide, is 

 made of fir wood, which is perfectly sound. It was fixed in the 

 office in the year 1788 or 1789, and it luis remained there, un- 

 touched, ever since, excepting that about three years ago it was 

 planed to remove some ink spots; by which operation the animal 

 had a very narrow escape from being discovered, as was apparent 

 from the thinness of the wood over the cell when it attempted 

 to come out. 'I'he insect with a piece of the wood about a foot 

 square, cut out nearly from the middle of the desk, was sent to 

 Sir Joseph Banks ; but a thin shaving had previously been taken 

 from the surface of the board, by the officious care of a car- 

 penter, who chose to shave away the stains of ink. 



When I first saw this insect alive in Soho Square, both Sir 

 Joseph and myself were much struck with the richness, beauty 

 and elegance of its colours, particularly on account of its having 

 come out of a plank imported from the Baltic, as those splendid 

 insects in general inhabit the hottest climates. On examination, 

 we found it described by Fabricms in his Systema Eleutheratorum, 

 ii. 204. lOJ. as Biiprestis splendens, although he adds " Habitat in 

 China." It is also described by Paykull in his Fauna Suecica, 

 vol. iii. 229. 16. under the name of B. splendida. " Habitat in Up- 

 Jaudia rarius." And Gyllenhall, who has given the best and most 

 p;ulicular description of it, in his Insecta Suecica, i. 455. 15. 

 adopts the name of B. splendida after Paykull, and quotes 

 Her/ St. Col. ix. 55. 38. which I have no doubt is the same, as this 

 author likewise refers to Paykull. Gyllenhall seems also to 

 think that B. pretiosa of Herbst. ix. 127- 6. tab. 144. fig. C. is the 



same 



