326 Mr. G. R. Waterhouse's Descriptions 



lines as in the insect last mentioned), throwing out little processes 

 here and there in situations where, if carried to a greater extent, 

 they would divide the denuded parts of the elytra into the circular 

 areas. Departing from the typical P. orhifer in another direction, 

 we find specimens in which nearly all the scales are obliterated, 

 excepting those paler scales which encircle the rounded areas ; 

 these varieties approach to the P. reticulatus. Lastly, there are 

 specimens in which there are no scales, and as these appendages 

 rub off, it might be presumed these scaleless individuals were old 

 specimens ; a supposition which would be correct in some, but not 

 in all, instances. In some of the bottles full of these insects 

 brought home by Mr. Cuming, I found mixed with the P. orhifer 

 (and especially with the variety just described as approaching to 

 P. reticulatus) numerous specimens in which the scales had evi- 

 dently been rubbed off— -a scale or two only being left here and 

 there ; but in one bottle there were a great number of specimens, 

 all of which were entirely destitute of scales, and among these 

 were some in which the elytra were quite soft and readily admitted 

 the pin, whilst generally the elytra were so hard that I was obliged 

 to bore a hole with a needle before I could pass the pin through 

 the insect ; these black specimens, moreover, nearly always had 

 the elytra more globose and shorter than in P. orhifer: on these 

 specimens I founded the P. inornatus. 



I have said that in P. orhifer the elytra have rows of small 

 punctures which are distinctly separated ; generally these punctures 

 are more distinct in the specimens from which my chief descrip- 

 tion is taken ; in those with metallic colouring they are less dis- 

 tinct, and sometimes scarcely perceptible : in some of these, how- 

 ever, the punctures are even more distinct than in the type : 

 sometimes the elytra are sulcated, and have punctures in the 

 grooves. I have specimens before me even in which the elytra 

 are deeply sulcated ; but these specimens are all more or less 

 crippled, perhaps by some accident while in the pupa state. 



From the above observations it will be seen, that there is con- 

 siderable difficulty in arriving at a satisfactory discrimination of 

 the species of this genus ; and as connected with this subject I 

 may mention, that the specimens as they were collected by Mr. 

 Cuming were tln'own into bottles of spirit. They were collected 

 in the different islands of the Philippine group, but unfortunately, 

 by an oversight, the labels on the bottles indicating the localities 

 were not attended to when the specimens were mounted. But 

 this much I can affirm, that, generally speaking, those which T 

 have presumed to be varieties of P. orhifer, &c., were not mixed 



