New Coleopterous Insects of North America. 169 



.Description of some new Species of North American 

 Insects. By Captain John Le Conte of the United 

 States -army. Read Nov. 8th. 



Owing to the difficulty of determining, in this country, 

 what insects are knowu to naturalists in Europe, the science 

 of entomology has as yet made but small progress amongst 

 us : even if all the books which have been published on this 

 subject were commonly available, we still should not be in 

 a much better situation. 



The collections which have been brought together in Eu- 

 rope from every part of the world, contain many more species 

 than have been published, but which there are probably as 

 well known to the learned, as those contained in the books. 



In offering these {ew American species to the Lyceum as 

 new, I have not acted without due caution and hesitation, and 

 a proper regard to the character of our society. Being dif- 

 fident of considering any thing as new, because it was not 

 found in authors who wrote many years ago ; I have taken 

 the precaution to ask the opinion and advice of the Baron 

 Dejean of Paris, too well known as the profoundest entomo- 

 logist and the most accomplished soldier of the age, for my 

 feeble testimony to add any thing to his reputation. 



They are most of them small, some minute : indeed, among 

 these we are to search for what is new with a more confident 

 hope of success. The numerous naturalists who at different 

 times have traversed our continent, have long left little to be 

 discovered except what is not very apparent to the transient 

 observer. The true student of nature, however, will not des- 

 pise any of her works because they are small, but find as 

 much to observe and to admire in them as in the most bulky. 

 As few are acquainted with any others than the Linnean ge- 

 nera, it has been thought advisable to add to the description? 



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