Lucanidce of Japan. 337 



although we may say it is by heredity that the Luca- 

 nidce retain their ordinary peculiarities, the strange 

 excrescences and huge mandibles in some males is a 

 result arising from the necessity of placing the tissue 

 gathered by a vigorous larva in becoming full-fed. It is 

 of individual, not specific, value. It is a process within 

 a single organism, as in the queen bee, resulting in an 

 abnormal development. 



In the following notes of species I have given the 

 number of specimens in my collection, as I think it an 

 important statistic ; but in the forests of Japan I have 

 examined many hundreds of specimens of the commoner 

 kinds in the living state, and had it been otherwise I 

 should hardly have been able to unite such insects as 

 Macrodorcus opacus with striatipennis, nor could I have 

 sunk with confidence other names relating only to forms 

 of parallel value. 



Prismognathus angidaris, C. Waterh. (PL XIV., fig. 1). 



The type of this species, female, I obtained in Kawachi 

 in 1871. Lately I obtained ten males and two females, 

 all from old birch trees or logs. 



The localities are Chiuzenji, Junsai, and Sapporo, 

 and the specimens only show slight variation in size 

 and form. 



Macrodorcus rubrofcmoratus, Motsch. 



This is a very distinct species ; in the south of Japan 

 it occurs only at very high elevations, but in Yezo it is 

 common at sea-level. It was most abundant in the 

 beech forests above the Lake of Hakone, and at Chiu- 

 zenji ; and it was found also in Kiushiu on Oyayama. 



Twenty males, eleven females. 



Macrodorcus montivagus, n. s. (PI. XIV., fig. 2). 



$ . Niger, opacus, undique minute punctulatus, man- 

 dibulis capitis longitudine, robustus arcuatis, ante 

 medium dente acuto armatis. Prothorace transverso, 

 lateribus post medium dente acuto instructis. Long, 

 cum mandib. 18 — 19 lin. 



? . Capite fortiter rugoso, medio bituberculato ; 



