﻿Synopsis 
  of 
  the 
  Coleopterous 
  Insects 
  of 
  the 
  Group 
  Clerid^ 
  

   which 
  inhabit 
  the 
  United 
  States. 
  By 
  John 
  L. 
  Le 
  Conte, 
  

   M. 
  D. 
  

  

  The 
  recent 
  political 
  events 
  of 
  the 
  South 
  of 
  Europe 
  have 
  

   caused 
  severe 
  interruptions 
  to 
  those 
  close 
  commercial 
  relations 
  

   which 
  lend 
  their 
  influence 
  to 
  the 
  advancement 
  of 
  science, 
  as 
  

   to 
  every 
  other 
  adjunct 
  of 
  civilization. 
  These 
  events 
  must 
  form 
  

   my 
  excuse 
  for 
  delaying 
  to 
  this 
  late 
  period 
  the 
  small 
  essay 
  on 
  

   Cleridae 
  which 
  has 
  been 
  long 
  promised 
  to 
  my 
  entomological 
  

   friends, 
  and 
  the 
  apparition 
  of 
  which 
  has 
  occasionally 
  terrified 
  

   them 
  into 
  parting 
  with 
  some 
  highly-prized 
  specimen 
  of 
  this 
  

   beautiful 
  group. 
  At 
  least 
  to 
  this 
  cause, 
  no 
  less 
  than 
  to 
  per- 
  

   sonal 
  favor, 
  must 
  I 
  ascribe 
  the 
  kind 
  liberality 
  with 
  whicii 
  many 
  

   rare 
  and 
  even 
  unique 
  specimens 
  have 
  been 
  quietly 
  transferred 
  

   from 
  the 
  collections 
  of 
  Messrs. 
  Schaum, 
  Haldeman, 
  Melshei- 
  

   mer, 
  Ziegler, 
  Wilcox, 
  G-uex, 
  and 
  other 
  friends, 
  to 
  a 
  final 
  

   resting-place 
  within 
  my 
  boxes. 
  For 
  these, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  the 
  

   numerous 
  other 
  favors 
  received 
  from 
  the 
  above 
  named 
  gentle- 
  

   men, 
  I 
  tender 
  them 
  my 
  sincere 
  thanks, 
  as 
  I 
  feel 
  confident 
  

   that, 
  without 
  the 
  assistance 
  rendered 
  by 
  their 
  rich 
  collections, 
  

   any 
  effort 
  on 
  my 
  part, 
  for 
  the 
  elucidation 
  of 
  the 
  American 
  

   Coleoptera, 
  would 
  fall 
  far 
  short 
  of 
  even 
  a 
  moderate 
  degree 
  of 
  

   completeness. 
  

  

  Having 
  recently, 
  however, 
  succeeded, 
  after 
  more 
  than 
  two 
  

   years 
  of 
  repeated 
  endeavor, 
  in 
  procuring 
  a 
  copy 
  of 
  the 
  " 
  Essai 
  

   Monographique 
  sur 
  les 
  Clerites," 
  by 
  the 
  Marquis 
  Spinola, 
  I 
  

   now 
  venture 
  to 
  present 
  a 
  synopsis 
  of 
  such 
  species 
  of 
  this 
  

   interesting 
  family 
  as 
  have 
  been 
  found 
  within 
  the 
  limits 
  of 
  our 
  

   Republic. 
  Before 
  proceeding 
  to 
  this 
  task, 
  I 
  feel 
  obliged 
  again 
  

  

  