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  49 
  ) 
  

  

  X. 
  On 
  the 
  Hahits 
  of 
  the 
  Species 
  of 
  the 
  Coleopterous 
  Genus 
  

   Megacephala, 
  irthahiting 
  the 
  Amazonian 
  Region 
  of 
  South 
  

   America. 
  By 
  H. 
  W. 
  Bates, 
  Esq., 
  with 
  a 
  Synopsis 
  of 
  the 
  

   Species 
  hy 
  J. 
  O. 
  Westwood, 
  Esq., 
  F.L.S., 
  Sfc. 
  

  

  [Read 
  7th 
  June, 
  1852.] 
  

  

  Throughout 
  the 
  whole 
  country, 
  from 
  the 
  city 
  of 
  Para 
  to 
  Ega, 
  on 
  

   the 
  upper 
  Amazons, 
  I 
  Iiave 
  found 
  eleven 
  species 
  of 
  the 
  genus 
  

   Megacephala. 
  They 
  are 
  all 
  inhabitants 
  of 
  sandy 
  soils 
  in 
  exposed 
  

   situations, 
  none 
  being 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  shades 
  of 
  the 
  humid 
  forests 
  

   which 
  cover 
  nearly 
  the 
  whole 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  country. 
  I 
  believe 
  

   they 
  are 
  all 
  nocturnal 
  in 
  their 
  habits, 
  except 
  perhaps 
  the 
  M. 
  sepul- 
  

   chralis, 
  Fab., 
  in 
  the 
  daytime 
  being 
  concealed 
  several 
  inches 
  deep 
  

   in 
  burrows 
  in 
  the 
  sand. 
  I 
  have 
  never 
  observed 
  any 
  one 
  make 
  use 
  

   of 
  its 
  wings, 
  which 
  the 
  Ctcindelce 
  and 
  Odontocheilce 
  so 
  readily 
  do, 
  

   but 
  their 
  powers 
  of 
  running 
  exceed 
  anything 
  I 
  have 
  ever 
  observed 
  

   in 
  this 
  style 
  of 
  insect 
  locomotion 
  ; 
  they 
  run 
  in 
  a 
  serpentine 
  course' 
  

   over 
  the 
  smooth 
  sand, 
  and 
  when 
  closely 
  pursued 
  by 
  the 
  hand, 
  in 
  

   endeavouring 
  to 
  seize 
  them, 
  they 
  are 
  apt 
  to 
  turn 
  suddenly 
  back, 
  

   and 
  thus 
  baffle 
  the 
  most 
  practised 
  hand 
  and 
  eye. 
  Nearly 
  all 
  the 
  

   species 
  are 
  confined 
  to 
  the 
  margins 
  of 
  the 
  river, 
  on 
  the 
  sandy 
  

   beaches 
  and 
  extensive 
  sand 
  banks 
  in 
  mid-river 
  ; 
  and 
  are 
  found 
  

   chiefly 
  in 
  the 
  dry 
  season, 
  most 
  abundant 
  when 
  the 
  sinking 
  waters 
  

   have 
  left 
  exposed 
  the 
  largest 
  extent 
  of 
  sand. 
  The 
  pallid-coloured 
  

   series 
  of 
  species, 
  of 
  which 
  I 
  have 
  observed 
  five, 
  are 
  quite 
  confined 
  

   to 
  the 
  most 
  extensive 
  of 
  the 
  sandy 
  beaches, 
  where 
  the 
  sand 
  is 
  

   finest 
  and 
  whitest, 
  which 
  begin 
  only 
  at 
  the 
  altitude 
  of 
  Santarem. 
  

   In 
  their 
  pale 
  colours, 
  with 
  dusky 
  marks 
  or 
  patches 
  on 
  the 
  elytra, 
  

   they 
  resemble 
  the 
  Nehr'ia 
  complanata 
  of 
  the 
  sandy 
  sea 
  shores 
  of 
  

   Europe, 
  which 
  has 
  a 
  similar 
  aspect 
  and 
  habits, 
  and 
  in 
  taking 
  these 
  

   Megacephalcc 
  I 
  have 
  been 
  forcibly 
  reminded 
  of 
  the 
  Nebrice, 
  their 
  

   colours 
  respectively 
  agreeing 
  with 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  locale 
  they 
  inhabit. 
  

   There 
  is 
  another 
  instance 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  relation 
  here, 
  in 
  a 
  large 
  

   species 
  o( 
  Forfcula, 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  pallid 
  colours, 
  and 
  found 
  also 
  on 
  

   these 
  sandy 
  shores. 
  There 
  are, 
  throughout 
  the 
  various 
  branches 
  

   of 
  Zoology, 
  many 
  instances 
  of 
  this 
  relation 
  between 
  the 
  colours 
  

   of 
  species 
  and 
  the 
  locale 
  they 
  inhabit, 
  and 
  all 
  such 
  facts, 
  when 
  

   observed, 
  appear 
  to 
  me 
  deserving 
  of 
  record, 
  although 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  

   far 
  in 
  the 
  future 
  of 
  the 
  history 
  of 
  science 
  before 
  any 
  useful 
  gene- 
  

   ralization 
  be 
  drawn 
  from 
  them. 
  

  

  The 
  Megacephnlce 
  are 
  closely 
  allied 
  to 
  the 
  Ctcindelce, 
  and 
  the 
  

  

  VOL. 
  II. 
  N.S. 
  PART 
  II. 
  SEPT. 
  1852. 
  E 
  

  

  