Linnean Society. 297 
PROCEEDINGS OF LEARNED SOCIETIES. 
LINNZAN SOCIETY. 
June 16.—The Lord Bishop of Norwich, President, in the Chair. 
Read, ‘“‘ Description of a new species of the Coleopterous genus 
Cerapterus, from South America.”’ By J. O. Westwood, Esgq., F.L.S. 
In the present paper the author enumerates eight species of this 
interesting genus of the family of Pausside, which he distributes 
into six subgenera. The following are the characters of the new 
species :— 
1. C. Horsfieldii, piceus; thorace anticé emarginato, elytris macula apicali 
flavescente haud rotundata literam y quodammodo simulante, palpo- 
rum labialium articulo ultimo securiformi. 
2. C. quadrinotatus, piceo-niger, nitidissimus; thorace (anticé viso) sub- 
emarginato, maculis duabus magnis ovalibus prope scutellum, alterisque 
duabus apicem versus majoribus anticé et posticé lobatis rufo-fulvis. 
Long. corp. lin. lat. lin. 
3. C. piceus, nitidus; antennis pedibusque rufo-piceis, punctis irregula- 
ribus minutissimis. 
4. C. brasiliensis, fulvo-rufescens ; oculis albidis tenuissimé punctatis, ver- 
tice depresso, thorace intra angulos posticos utrinque foveolato. 
Long. corp. lin. lat. lin. 
This remarkable species was discovered by Mr. Miers in the vi- 
cinity of Rio de Janeiro, and a drawing of the insect accompanies 
the present paper. Mr. Westwood regards it as the type of a new 
subgenus, which he names Homopterus. 
5. C. Westermanni, rufo-piceus, haud nitidus; elytris nigris posticé cruce 
rufescente notatis basi bicostatis discoque longitudinalitér subimpressis, 
apice rufescente. 
Long. corp. lin. lat. lin. 
Read also the conclusion of a paper, entitled ‘“‘ Arrangement and 
Definition of the Genera of Ferns, founded upon their venation, 
with examples of the species, and observations on the affinities of 
each genus.” By Mr. John Smith, A.L.S. 
The principles of the author’s arrangement are similar to those 
proposed by Presl in his Tentamen Pteridographie, published at 
Prague in 1836, in which the venation of the frond (a character the 
importance of which was first pointed out by Mr. Brown) is adopted 
as the basis of generic division. It is but justice, however, to Mr. 
Smith, to state that his arrangement was completed before the work 
of Professor Presl had reached this country, and the coincidence of 
their views affords presumptive evidence in favour of the accuracy 
of the principles upon which their distribution of the species is 
founded. This extensive family, or rather class, was divided by 
Mr. Brown into four very natural subfamilies. It is only with the 
first of these (Polypodiacee) that Mr. Smith has more particu- 
larly occupied himself in the present paper. The following are the 
names and characters of the tribes into which he has distributed the 
Polypodiacee. 
