76 NATURAL HISTORY OF 



class. In tliis country alone, they amount, by the 

 latest and most accurate census, to upwards of 3600, 

 thus forming nearly a third part of our entire insect 

 population. This is considerably more than double 

 the number of phaenogamous or flowering plants in- 

 digenous to Britain, and greatly exceeds the whole 

 amount of our native vertebrate animals. When com- 

 pared with the two other orders that are next to it in 

 extent in this country, it will be found that the Cole- 

 optera are nearly one half more numerous than the 

 Lepidoptera, and that they stand much in the same 

 relation to the Diptera or two-winged flies. Of the 

 latter, indeed, all the species ascertained to inhabit 

 Europe scarcely exceed the amount of British Cole- 

 optera ; for the most accurate enumeration of the 

 European Diptera which we possess makes them 

 about 3760.* The native Coleoptera of Sweden, 

 according to the enumeration of them given by 

 Gyllenhal, in his admirable Insecta Suedca, are 

 about 4700 in number. In advancing southwards, 

 these insects increase in a ratio similar to what is 

 observed in other departments of nature ; and in 

 countries under the tropics, so redundant in every 

 kind of animal life, they may be said absolutely to 

 swarm. We are without sufficient data, however, 

 from which to form an accurate estimate of their 

 total amount. Some years since, the collection of 



* @t>0temattect)e 15e0cf)ret!umg Her fjekamtten (Euro* 

 patecfcen ?toetflugeltgen 3ln0*fcten, fcon 31* 21 

 aacfcen, 1818-1830. 



