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  VII, 
  Characters 
  of 
  imdescrihed 
  Coleoptera, 
  hroxtglit 
  from 
  

   China 
  by 
  R. 
  Fortune, 
  Esq. 
  By 
  W. 
  Wilson 
  Saunders, 
  

   F.L.S., 
  M.E.S. 
  &c. 
  

  

  [Read 
  3rd 
  May, 
  1852.] 
  

  

  The 
  Entomology 
  of 
  China 
  is 
  yet 
  but 
  very 
  imperfectly 
  known, 
  

   notwithstanding 
  that 
  the 
  Collections 
  of 
  Entomologists 
  have 
  been 
  

   abundantly 
  supplied 
  with 
  specimens 
  from 
  that 
  country 
  during 
  a 
  

   long 
  series 
  of 
  years. 
  This 
  peculiarity 
  is 
  chiefly 
  to 
  be 
  attributed 
  to 
  

   the 
  restrictive 
  system 
  o{ 
  the 
  Chinese, 
  which, 
  until 
  within 
  a 
  very 
  late 
  

   period, 
  prevented 
  travellers 
  and 
  collectors 
  from 
  investigating 
  the 
  

   natural 
  productions 
  of 
  this 
  remarkable 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  world, 
  and 
  to 
  the 
  

   fact 
  that 
  the 
  only 
  entomological 
  specimens 
  to 
  be 
  obtained 
  were 
  those 
  

   collected 
  for 
  sale 
  by 
  natives 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  Canton. 
  The 
  China- 
  

   man, 
  with 
  little 
  of 
  the 
  philosophy 
  of 
  Entomology 
  about 
  him, 
  

   during 
  his 
  researches 
  after 
  insects 
  kept 
  chiefly 
  in 
  view 
  the 
  bright, 
  

   beautiful, 
  and 
  large 
  in 
  size, 
  his 
  object 
  being 
  to 
  please 
  the 
  eye 
  only. 
  

   He 
  cared 
  little 
  about 
  the 
  less 
  showy 
  and 
  small 
  species, 
  these 
  not 
  

   suiting 
  his 
  purpose 
  ; 
  and 
  we 
  therefore 
  find, 
  in 
  the 
  Chinese 
  collec- 
  

   tions, 
  the 
  same 
  species 
  occurring 
  over 
  and 
  over 
  again, 
  and 
  ar- 
  

   ranged 
  into 
  cases 
  with 
  the 
  same 
  precision 
  and 
  uniformity 
  ; 
  the 
  

   object 
  being 
  to 
  make 
  a 
  pretty 
  picture, 
  by 
  placing 
  the 
  specimens 
  in 
  

   curves 
  or 
  radiating 
  lines 
  having 
  a 
  common 
  centre, 
  and 
  without 
  

   any 
  attempt 
  at 
  classification 
  or 
  putting 
  allied 
  forms 
  together. 
  

   Flies, 
  bees, 
  moths, 
  and 
  beetles, 
  were 
  placed 
  side 
  by 
  side 
  without 
  

   distinction, 
  and 
  the 
  species 
  were 
  only 
  valued 
  for 
  their 
  various 
  

   hues 
  and 
  tints, 
  and 
  for 
  their 
  beauty 
  and 
  brightness 
  ; 
  and 
  the 
  

   ruling 
  idea 
  in 
  placing 
  the 
  specimens 
  in 
  the 
  cases 
  seems 
  to 
  have 
  

   been 
  to 
  form 
  a 
  pretty 
  and 
  lively 
  pattern, 
  much 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  way 
  

   that 
  the 
  worker 
  in 
  inlaid 
  woods 
  contrasts 
  his 
  materials 
  to 
  pro- 
  

   duce 
  a 
  pleasing 
  effect. 
  Collections 
  so 
  formed 
  came 
  to 
  Europe 
  

   of 
  ancient 
  date, 
  and 
  the 
  species 
  contained 
  in 
  them 
  have 
  been 
  well 
  

   described 
  by 
  Entomologists, 
  exciting 
  much 
  interest 
  from 
  their 
  

   great 
  beauty 
  and 
  remarkable 
  forms. 
  This 
  interest, 
  however, 
  

   gradually 
  declined, 
  from 
  the 
  want 
  of 
  novelty 
  in 
  the 
  increasing 
  

   number 
  of 
  specimens 
  which 
  found 
  their 
  way 
  to 
  Europe; 
  so 
  great, 
  

   indeed, 
  was 
  the 
  supply 
  at 
  last, 
  and 
  so 
  little 
  the 
  demand, 
  that 
  a 
  few 
  

   years 
  back 
  more 
  than 
  200 
  cases 
  of 
  these 
  insects, 
  each 
  on 
  the 
  

  

  