Popular JBtctuman) of ftmmatett Mature. 575 



appear that the male bore two horns, and 

 that the female was destitute of these ap- 

 pendages. The latter, for this reason, has 

 been made the type of the genus Acerothe- 

 rium of M. Kaup. The R. incish-iis is found 

 in the middle tertiary formations, and has 

 been described under many names. In the 

 Sowalik Hills, in India, Dr. Falconer and 

 Major Cautley have discovered remains of 

 other fossil species ; figures of these are given 

 in their Fauna anliqua Sii'alensis: the origi- 

 nals are preserved in the British Museum. 



It appears that rhinoceroses have not ex- 

 isted during the whole commencement of 

 the tertiary epoch, for the eocene formations 

 yield no trace of them. They have appeared, 

 for the first time, in the middle or miocene 

 period, during which the R. incisivus has 

 inhabited the greater part of Europe. To- 

 wards the close of the tertiary epoch this 

 species has been replaced by the R. lepto- 

 rhimis, and during the diluvian epoch, it is 

 the R. tichorhinus which has been the n.ost 

 abundant and most widely diffused. In the 

 present day rhinoceroses do not exist in 

 Europe, and are only found in the warmest 

 countries. We find three species in Africa, 

 one species in Continental Asia, and two in 

 the Sunda Islands. America and New Hol- 

 land have not any at present, and do not 

 appear to have possessed any in the epoch 

 anterior to our own. 



RHIPIDURA. [See FANTAIL.] 



RHIZOSTOMA. A genus of Acalephsc, 

 bea-ing a close external resemblance to the 

 Medu a. 



RHOPALOCERA. The first section of the 

 Lepidoptera, in the recent Classification of 

 Insects, corresponding with the genus 1'apilio 

 (Linn.), and deriving its name from gene- 

 rally having he antennae, which are thin 

 and elongated, rminated by a knob. This 

 section comprises the well-known tribes of 

 Butterflies, whose elegant forms and beau- 

 tiful colours may be mistaken for. " winged 

 flowers or flying gems." They vary greatly 

 in size, as well as in '"^e diversity of their 

 colours : here, in our atire fields, we have 

 some species not an inch across the wings, 

 while in India and South America are to 

 be seen, fluttering in the sun's warm ravs, 

 gorgeous specimens nine or ten inches in 

 expanse. Their flight is also as varied as 

 that of the feathered tribes, and can as 

 readily be distinguished by the skilful col- 

 lector. Some skim along the plain with 

 graceful elegance ; others fly more slowly, 

 and with an undulating motion ; while 

 others, again, rise high into the air, and sail 

 over the topmost branches of the sturdy oak. 

 The prevalence of particular colours in 

 certain groups also deserves mention : thus 

 the Polyommati are chiefly blue ; among the 

 Pirrkles the colour is either white or orange 



length were we to attempt to describe the 

 various habits, the distinctive characters, 

 and the transformations, &c. of these beau- 

 tiful insects ; but we trust the reader will 

 excuse us if we at once refer him, for such 

 additional information as our space would 

 allow, to the articles PAPILIO and LEPIDOP- 

 TKRA. 



RIIYNCHCEA. A genus of Grallatorial 

 birds allied to the Snipes. The species 

 RIIYXCHXEA AUSTKAI.IS, which is a summer 

 visitant of New South Wales, in its habits 

 and disposition partakes both of the true 

 Snipes and the Sandpipers ; running about, 

 like the latter, among the rushes or on the 

 bare ground at the edge of the water. Olive- 

 green, with narrow bars and marblings of 

 dark brown, is the prevailing colour ; and a 

 pale buff stripe runs from the bill down the 

 centre of the head to the nape ; breast and 

 all the under surface white ; legs pale green. 

 The male is much smaller than the female, 

 and has the sides, back, and front of the neck 

 much lighter and mingled with patches of 

 white ; wings more olive, the coverts orna- 

 mented with numerous large irregular 

 patches of buff, encircled with a narrow line 

 of black ; the buff bands on the primaries 

 richer and more distinct ; the scapularies 

 speckled with white ; the patch on each side 

 of the chest dark olive, with large patches of 

 white surrounded by a line of black. The 

 plumage of the female, contrary to the gene- 

 ral rule, is darker, richer, and more distinctly 

 defined. Mr. Gould says that on dissection 

 be observed an anatomical peculiarity of a 

 very extraordinary nature, the more so as it 

 exists in the female alone ; namely, the 

 great elongation of the trachea, which passes 

 down between the skin and the muscles 

 forming the breast for the whole length of 

 the body, making four distinct convolutions 

 before entering the lungs. This was after- 

 wards examined by Mr. Yarrell, who states 

 that the form and position of the trachea in 

 the Rhynchcea Australia is similar to that of 

 the Semipalmated Goose, figured in the 15th 

 volume of the Trans. Linn. Soc. Tab. 14. 



RHYNCHOPHORA. An extensive group 

 or subsection of Coleopterous insects, dis- 

 tinguished by the front of the head being 

 produced into a long snout or rostrum, at 

 the extremity of which is the mouth. The 

 body is oval or rounded ; the antennae are 

 inserted at the sides of the rostrum, and are 

 short, elbowed, and often terminated in an 

 oval club j the mandibles are small but ro- 

 bust ; the palpi short and conical ; and the 

 third tarsal joint deeply bilobed. The ma- 



jority of the species are of small or moderate 

 size ; but the elytra of some of them are 

 most brilliantly coloured : they are widely 

 distributed, but abound chiefly in hot coun- 

 tries, and all are herbivorous. The larvns 

 are white and fleshy grubs, with strong and 



tipped with black ; in the flipparchio-, \ horny jaws, whereby they are enabled to 

 dull brown ; in Lyccena, bright copper gnaw the harder parts of vegetable food, on 

 colour j while the NymphuluUK have their which they subsist. 



wings varied with beautiful eyes or spots ; These beetles are often very hurtful to 

 and the Fritillaries are fulvous, varied on I plants, by borins into the leaves, bark, buds, 

 the under side with pearly patches. We i fruit, and seeds7 and feeding upon the soft 

 might extend this article to an indefinite | substance therein contained. They are <li- 



