Coleoytera from the Hawaiian Islands. 79 



cussion, until we or some one else puts these troublesome 

 synthetic forms where they will be least ovit of place." 



Dr. Leconte's opinion is of such great importance, and 

 the question of the isolation of Protcrliinus is of so much 

 interest in relation to the affinities of the Hawaiian fauna, 

 that I shall avail myself of his invitation to make some 

 additional remarks on the question. 



It will be gathered from what I have above quoted that 

 he agrees Avith me in locating Proterhinus as an isolated 

 , and little developed type of Rhyncophora, while he also 

 confirms the opinion I expressed (Ann. and Mag. Nat. 

 Hist., July, 1876, p. 28), before Mr. Blackburn's re- 

 searches had brought Proterhinus to light, that the rela- 

 tionships of the then unique Agli/cyderes were with the 

 Colydiidce. It Avill be seen, however, that, on the other 

 hand, the Philadelphian savant does not at all support 

 my subsequent proposal (Trans. Ent. Soc. Lond. 1878, 

 pp. 16, 21) to unite Aglycyderes and Proterhinus in one 

 family, but, on the contrary, he leaves it to be inferred that 

 there is no real affinity between the two genera, and on 

 this point, after careful renewed examination of the insects, 

 I feel compelled to differ from him. 



It is, however, such a bold thing for me to dissent from 

 a carefully-formed opinion of Dr. Leconte on such a point, 

 that I must, before stating my reasons, take the opportunity 

 of quoting the dictum of another most accomplished natu- 

 ralist, the late T. V. AA'ollaston. In a letter I received 

 . from him a few days before his lamented decease, he ac- 

 , knowledges the arrival of a pair of Proterhinus vestitus 

 I had sent to him, and says, *' Your new member of the 

 Acjly cyder id(B is a most wonderful beast, quite one of the 

 . most extraordinary I have ever seen, but there is no mis- 

 . taking, I think, its affinities." Although Mr. Wollaston 

 speaks as if he had not made any complete examination, 

 it will be seen that he was quite inclined to agree Avith me 

 on the point in which Dr. Leconte diffei-s from me. 



I consider Aglycyderes and Proterhinus to be allied, 

 because they have in common a structure of the tarsi, 

 which out of the Avhole enormous order of Coleoptera is 

 peculiar to them, and because they agree in all other 

 points except those Avhich Dr. Leconte has mentioned, 

 and of some of which I think he has over-estimated the 

 importance. For instance, though there is a great differ- 

 ence in the structure of the head in the males of the two 

 forms, yet, on comparing together the females, I have 



