BEETLES AND HYMENOPTERA. 399 



the sub-family Prionidae. My friend, Mr. Melvill, lately (1885) 

 bought a specimen from Mr. Janson, of Little Russell Street, who 

 wrote to him as follows : " Two specimens were received from 

 Signor de Laenda, of Bahia, who obtained them from the interior : 

 one of these, the smaller, I sold to M. van de Poll, of Amsterdam, 

 in July last (1885) ; the other, now sent to you, I had intended 

 keeping, as, beyond a specimen in the British Museum and one 

 in Mr. Alexander Fry's collection, there are, I believe, no others 

 in London, or probably in this country." Mr. C. O. Waterhouse 

 of the British Museum has confirmed this statement. 



The " Catalogus Coleopterorum " gives the names of over 

 73,000 species of beetles; the Curculionidse and Chrysomelidse 

 being each represented by over 10,000 species, the Geodephaga 

 and Lamellicornes by 8000 each, and Longicornes by 7500. 



NOTES ON OTHER INSECTS. 



In the foregoing notes on insects, I have placed Lepidoptera 

 in the first place, because butterflies are certainly the best known 

 and the most favoured, on account of their displaying themselves 

 everywhere and their vivid colouring. In reality, the highest 

 order of insects is Hymenoptera,* then follow Coleoptera, which 

 are succeeded by Lepidoptera. I shall now refer to the Hymen- 

 optera, and then proceed with the other orders in their proper 

 sequence. 



HYMENOPTERA. 



Bees and Wasps. I have frequently alluded to the honey-bees 

 and Avasps in my journal, and as I did not collect them (though 

 I have about a dozen species), I think it unnecessary to say more 

 than a word about them. On one occasion, in the spring (Sep- 

 tember 3, 1883), we came across a very neatly shaped wasps' nest 

 in a tree, and, wishing to preserve it, I had the insects driven out, 

 carried off the nest, and placed it in another tree some hundred 

 yards off. On returning in the evening, we found that the wasps 

 had discovered their nest, and were again in possession. These 



* The cerebral ganglia are more developed in ants than in any other insect. 

 Belt's " Nicaragua," p. 28. 



