liv 



South America without touching Africa, and this is said to be 

 indicated by an elevated ridge along the sea bottom, from Rio 

 Janeiro round the Cape to Madagascar. 



From this short sketch of the paper in question, it will be seen 

 that it discusses many of the most interesting problems connected 

 with the great subject of geographical distribution. The value of 

 the detailed proofs brought forward will in many cases depend 

 upon the degree of af&nity indicated by the same generic name 

 being used by different authors, some of whom are not entomolo- 

 gists, and by the manner in which generic groups are limited and 

 doubtful affinities determined. These questions will have to be 

 dealt with by more experienced Coleopterists than myself, but 

 I may take the present opportunity of saying something on the 

 more general questions relating to the geographical distribution 

 of animals. 



And first, as to the great value attached to the class Coleoptera 

 in enquiries of this nature, there is something to be said on the 

 other side. Mr. Murray believes that, with the exception of the 

 timber-borers, the presence of the same or closel}^ allied species 

 in discontiguous countries is a proof that there has been a former 

 continuity of soil, because neither their powers of flight nor their 

 vitality are sufficient to carry them over any considerable extent 

 of sea. But in all these respects the}'' must be vastly inferior to 

 mammals, reptiles and land-shells ; while their generally small 

 dimensions must offer facilities for distribution in many un- 

 expected ways. Violent gales of wind, for example, will, we 

 know, carry bodies of greater specific gravity than beetles for 

 many miles through the air ; and storms and hurricanes are of 

 such frequent occurrence, that they must have played a large 

 part in stocking all uninhabited lands. Again, during great 

 floods, whole forest trees are often carried out to sea, and 

 hundreds of beetles may lurk in the crevices of their bark or 

 even among their foliage, and, under favourable circumstances, 

 be drifted a long way in safet3^ Even matted rafts covered with 

 soil and bearing living vegetation are occasionally floated out to 

 sea by tropical rivers and may be drifted along for weeks, and 

 ultimately convey scores of insects to far distant lands. A large 

 number of beetles are exceedingly tenacious of life. Immersion 

 in strong spirits for twelve hours will often not kill them, nor will 

 water if many degrees below the boiling point ; so that it is not 



