76 Mr. D. Sharp on some 



Broun will in future work "ohne Hast aber ohne 

 East," and, by limiting his ambitious programme, 

 increase his powers of useful performance, and so make 

 a real addition to a knowledge of the New Zealand fauna, 

 that I have felt it right to speak as above. Let him deal 

 with each family separately, and give us a careful study 

 of its New Zealand species. 



That the New Zealand beetles are of great scientific 

 importance, and that there is very great danger that a 

 considerable proportion of them will be soon completely 

 extirpated is certain ; and intelligent beings, who will 

 collect and carefully preserve the rarer forms are doing 

 now a work which will be impossible in the future ; and 

 when the specimens are so collected and preserved, 

 it is, and will be, a work of great magnitude and difficulty 

 to study them and learn from them all that is to be 

 learned : thus it is important that the earlier works on 

 the subject should not encumber it with unnecessary 

 difficulties, and so put preliminary obstacles in the 

 way of future students ; we shall never get beyond 

 mere nomenclature if this be made so difficult as to 

 claim all the powers and time the student has at his 

 disposal. 



As regards the forms described and characterised in 

 the present memoir, I believe they will be found to make 

 a real though slight addition to our knowledge ; the 

 existence in New Zealand of a genus of Rliinomacerides, 

 and of two genera of true CJirysomeUdce, as well as of a 

 genus of Colydiidce, allied to the anomalous European 

 Langdundia, and connecting it with the Tarpliii, are 

 facts of considerable importance and novelty ; while, as 

 regards the other forms, they will, I think, be easily 

 recognised from my descriptions, although the certain 

 position of one or two genera will be perhaps for some 

 time a doubtful question. Certain of the species are 

 described because they have already been more or less 

 widely distributed under the names I have applied to 

 them. 



