87 



In every case British Strata and their fossils will be first 

 described, and then those from the Continents of Europe and 

 America. 



British Strata. 



Kecent or Post Tertiary Period, 



One of the most recent deposits in this country, in -which 

 fossil insects have been detected, is that of the brick earth at 

 Lexden, near Colchester. In a paper on the brick pit at Lexden' 

 in the Geological Society's Journal, 1863, the Rev. O. Fisher states 

 that he obtained a number of specimens of Coleoptera from this 

 locaKty. These remains he submitted to Mr. T. Yernon 

 WoUaston, F.L.S. Amongst these remains Mr. Wollaston 

 identified several elytra of beetles, belonging to the following 

 genera, viz. : — C'assida, CurcuUo, Coccinella, Chrysomela, and 

 Cossyphm. Some of the specimens are referred doubtfully to 

 Carablda; and Buprestida. Mr. Wollaston stated, that with one or 

 two exceptions, these remains could not be referred to existing 

 British species. 



In the 3rd volume of the Geological Proceedings there is a 

 paper by Sir Charles Lyell on " The Boulder formation or drift 

 and associated fresh-water deposits, comprising the Mud Cliffs of 

 Eastern Norfolk." This paper contains an account of the 

 discovery in the Mundsley deposit of the elytra of certain Beetles 

 especially of the Genus Donacia. Mr. Curtis was of opinion that 

 in these remains there were two species of Donacia, both possibly 

 identical A^-ith existing British Insects. The same entomologist 

 has also detected in these fossils the presence of an Elater, an 

 elytron of one of the Harpalidce ; also another which he con- 

 fidently refers to Copiris Lunaris, a British Beetle. 



Dr. Henry "Woodward, F.R.S., has recently shown me the 

 dytra of a small species of beetle, which he stated that he 

 obtained from the Norfolk Cliffs, near Mundsley, some years ago. 



