452 Dr. G. A. K. Marshall on 
others, especially behind and towards the sides ; the scaling 
less dense, the round flat scales being confined to the punc- 
tures except along the extreme lateral margins; the round — 
scales pale, with a faint metallic greenish reflection, and often 
dusted with yellow powdering. 
D. famelicus esuriens.—EKyes rather more convex. Elytra 
with the intervals rather broader and flatter, and all of equal 
height ; the scaling much denser, especially towards the sides 
and apex; the round sca’es occurring equally on the intervals 
and in the punctures, generally dull, of a light brown or 
brownish-grey colour, rarely with a slight coppery reflection, 
but never with yellow powdering ; ‘in general effect the 
posterior half of the elytra appears much smoother and less 
strongly punctured. ‘The specimen figured by Mr. Pierce 
(pl. xxxvi. fig. 2) evidently belongs to this form. 
Further south, in Martinique, we find another very distinct 
race—D). famelicus elegantulus, Gy].,—in which the carination 
of the elytra is still more marked, the alternate intervals 
being strongly raised and quite bare, while the intervening 
spaces are densely clothed with pale metallic green scaling 
and yellow powdering. 
It is interesting to note that the Barbados form is very 
distinct from that < occurring in the nearest of these islands, 
namely, Martinique, being most nearly allied to the form 
that is geographically most remote (eswrtens). It therefore 
seems probable that the Barbados stock was originally intro- 
duced from the northern islands. 
In the same paper Mr. Pierce deals with some of the many 
forms of the variable and economically important Diaprepes 
abbreviatus, L. He says:—‘‘ Merely for the convenience of 
designation and to retain old well-known names, the species 
Diaprepes spenglert has been arbitrarily arranged into 
varieties by the writer.” Unfortunately the old names 
employed in this arbitrary arrangement appear to have been 
applied without any particular regard to the sense in which 
they were used by their original authors. Such a method 
must inevitably lead to confusion, and, pending an adequate 
revision of this difficult genus, it seems desirable to indicate 
without further delay the correct names of the forms figured 
by Mr. Pierce (1. ¢. pls. xxxv. & xxxvi.). 
In the first place, the specific name abdreviatus is erro- 
neously attributed to Olivier, the real author being Linneeus 
(1764), and the name having two years’ priority over spenglert, 
L. (1776). The primary specific name applicable to all the 
varieties is therefore abbreviatus, and not spengleri. 
The form to which the name marginatus, Oliv., is applied 
