xlvii 



FOSSIL ENTOMOLOGY. 



M. E. Oustalet has published a work, intituled, ' Eecherches 

 suL- les Insectes Fossiles des terrains tertiaires de la France,' the 

 first part of which relates to those of Auvergne ; the second to 

 those of Aix, in Provence. This work is illustrated with twelve 

 plates, containing upwards of two hundred figures of insects 

 described in the text. These (with the exception of one apper- 

 taining to the Staphylinidse) are classified under already recognised 

 genera, whereof the names are given in a summary, which has 

 appeared in the Bulletin of Proceedings of the French Entomolo- 

 gical Society of the 14th of October last, showing that in the 

 specimens from Auvergne the Diptera and Coleoptera greatly 

 preponderate over those of other orders ; while as regards those 

 from Aix, in greater abundance, M. Oustalet's observations have 

 been confined for the present to the Coleoptera alone. 



On comparing the results thus chronicled with those recorded 

 by Mr. Scudder in the 'American Naturahst' for November, 1872, 

 as obtained from the tertiary deposits of the Rocky Mountains of 

 Wyoming, we find that here also "Diptera and Coleoptera are 

 the prevailing forms," comprising "nearly six-sevenths of the 

 specimens and more than five-eighths of the species ; " and that 

 " cf the Coleoptera, fully one-half of the species, and about seven- 

 tenths of the specimens, belong to the Curculionidse ; the others 

 mostly to the Staphylinidse and Carabidte." 



Of the Coleoptera described by M. Oustalet from Auvergne, 

 out of nine genera two belong to the Dytiscidffi and Hydrophihdffi, 

 and all the rest to the Curculionidffi. Of those cited from Aix, 

 consisting of eighty-four species described and figured (whereof 

 fifty-four new to science), divided into fifty-one genera, the 

 Curculionidte are again the most numerous, comprising eighteen 

 genera, the Staphylinidc^ and Carabid^ following these in nume- 

 rical proportions (represented by nine genera of the former and 

 seven of the latter); to which succeed the Palpicornia and Phyto- 

 phaga (four genera of each), with nine genera belongmg to other 

 families, not exceeding two in each. 



Few insects of other orders were obtained from Auvergne ; 

 namely, of Orthoptera, the fragments of a smgle species; of 

 Neuroptera, specimens of Libellula, Ascalaphus and Phrygauea ; 



