SYSTEM OF INSECTS. 409 



a most remarkable coincidence, and seems a strong ar- 

 gument in favour of Mr. MacLeay's system. I should 

 observe, however, that according to that system, as 

 stated in his Horce Entomologies ', if the osculant or 

 transition groups are included, the total number is seven* : 

 these are groups small in number both of genera and 

 species, that intervene between and connect the larger 

 ones. Each of these osculant groups may be regarded 

 as divided into two parts, the one belonging to the upper 

 circle and the other to the lower ; so that each circle or 

 larger group is resolvable into five interior and two -ex* 

 terior ones, thus making up the number seven. Though 

 Mr. MacLeay regards this quinary arrangement of na- 

 tural objects as very general, it does not appear that he 

 looks upon it as absolutely universal, since he states 

 organized matter to begin in a dichotomy b : and he does 

 not resolve its ultimate groups into five species ; nor am 

 I certain that he regards the penultimate groups as in- 

 variably consisting of five ultimate ones. In Copris I 

 seem in my own cabinet to possess ten or twelve distinct 

 types ; and in Plian&uS) the fifth type, which Mr. Mac- 

 Leay regards as containing insects resembling all the 

 other types d , appears to me rather divided into two ; 

 one formed by JP. carnifex 9 Vindex, igneus, &c., and 

 the other by P. splendidulus^ Jloriger^ Kirbii, &c. 

 The great point which demands our attention in con- 



a VOL. III. p. 15. note 8 . b Hor. Entomolog. 199. 



e Viz. 1. Copris Hesperus ; 2. C. reflexa ; 3. C. Sabasus ; 4. C.lu- 

 naris; 5. C. Carolina ; 6. C. CEdipus ; T.C.Midas; S. C. capu- 

 cina; 9. C. Bucephalus ; 10. C. Molossus ; 11? C. Eridanus ; 12 

 C. sexdcntala K. 



d //or, Enfomolog. 518. 



