334 Mr. G. Lewis on the 



the ' Etudes ' of the next year apply, as I conceive, to 

 annularis ; yet there can be no doubt that the insects are 

 specifically distinct. 



Major Parry has also kindly pointed out to me that 

 Serrognathus castanicolor, Motsch., is an immature male 

 example of Eury tracheitis platymelus, Saunders. In 

 1874 Dr. Kenard sent Major Parry a drawing of Mot- 

 schulsky's type, made by Professor Lindemann, and 

 the drawing, which I have seen, at once disclosed the 

 fact that these two names apply to the same insect. 



It will be seen from the synonymy of the list and the 

 remarks above that some little confusion has arisen in 

 the determination of the species of the group generally, 

 and this has been owing chiefly to the want of sufficient 

 material by early authors, for had they had a long series 

 they would have been able to discriminate between 

 the forms which compose a species and the species them- 

 selves. 



To enable the student of Lucanidce rightly to estimate 

 the value of the different forms which usually exist in, 

 and partly constitute the peculiarities of, a species, it is 

 of all things necessary that he should possess and care- 

 fully examine a long series of specimens of each kind, 

 for each species is subject to great and apparently di- 

 vergent modifications of the members composing it, 

 especially in the males. Often the largest form, and a 

 form midway between it and the smallest form, are the 

 most abundant in individuals, and most constant in size 

 and structure ; while the intermediate and connecting 

 forms are scarce, or even of great rarity. But I have 

 said apparently divergent because there are not, as it 

 might first appear, various forms, for all are develop- 

 ments of one type depending on the amount of growth 

 of some or all parts of the individual. There is no 

 tendency towards any (comparatively speaking) perma- 

 nent divergent line beyond what we can trace to the 

 result of size and individual vigour of constitution ; for, 

 in the Japan insects at least, it is merely a matter of 

 finding the intermediate links before a complete series 

 can be arranged bridging over all the individual diffe- 

 rences. 



Now these remarks must be applied chiefly to the larger 

 species of the family contained in the genera Lucanus, 

 Cladognathus, Dorcus, and Macrodorcus, for when we 

 arrive at the genus Platy cents we find but little in 



