( cxxi ) 



doubt that further investigation amongst the related forms 

 will prove this to be the case. 



These remarkable Australian beetles exhibit a great range 

 of modification in the external parts placed near the male 

 genital opening, especially in the structure of the seventh 

 sternite and in the form and degree of development of the 

 forceps, the latter often being provided on the inner ventral 

 side with two blades which sometimes, curving downwards 

 and inwards, come together and overlap so as to form a kiBd 

 of ring or band, the object of which, so far as one can reason- 

 ably infer, is to grip the female right round the hinder end 

 of her body. The characters which these external parts 

 afford have been made full use of by Dr. Ferguson in his 

 revision of the genus ; but from what I have seen in the few 

 forms I have had time to examine, I think the aedeagus and 

 other internal structures would well repay, in their interest- 

 ing modifications, any amount of time spent in investigating 

 them. 



Although I have been unable to add more than a very little 

 to our knowledge of the subject, I hope that little will help 

 to show the great interest which an extended investigation 

 of the whole genital apparatus of the Coleoptera must possess, 

 and how completely justified was the opinion expressed by 

 Mr. Bethune -Baker in the Address to which I have referred. 

 I think we may congratulate him also on the happy selection 

 he made when he ventured to illustrate his remarks from 

 examples amongst the Coleoptera. 



As a Coleopterist, I have sometimes wished that I could, 

 without too much trouble, make a comparison of the parts, 

 in Coleoptera with the corresponding structures in Lepidoptera, 

 and I have turned more than once to look at some of those 

 nice photographic figures with which he and some of his 

 fellow-Lepidopterists illustrate their papers ; but I generally 

 fail to comprehend them. I can quite understand that the 

 case would be altogether different if I were experienced in 

 the examination of the parts and knew all about their con- 

 nections and relative positions. I can understand also that 

 a photograj)h is more likely to be true to nature than even the 

 best of drawings; but if it teaches less truth what is the 



