t84 vestiges of THE 



associations little prepare iis for expecting any trace of 

 the evil principle ; but here, too, there is a sub-typical 

 division. These," says our naturalist, " are distinguished 

 by their caterpillars being armed with formidable spines 

 or prickles, which in general are possessed of some highly 

 acrimonious or poisonous quality, capable of injuring 

 those who touch them. It is only," continues Mr. 

 Swainson, " when extensive researches bring to light 

 a uniformity of results, that we can venture to believe 

 they are so universal as to deserve being ranked as 

 primary laws. Thus, when a celebrated entomologist 

 denounced as impure the black and limd beetles forming 

 the saprophagous petalocera of Mr. Macleay, a tribe 

 living only upon putrid vegetable matter, and hiding 

 themselves in their disgusting food, or in dark hollows 

 of the earth, neither of these celebrated men suspected 

 the absolute fact, elicited from our analogies of this 

 group, that this very tribe constituted the sub-typical 

 group of one of the primary divisions of coleopterous 

 insects : nor had they any suspicion that, by the filthy 

 habits and repulsive forms of these beetles, nature had 

 intended that they should be types or emblems of 

 hundreds of other groups distinguished by peculiarities 

 equally indicative of evil. On the other hand, the 

 thalerophagous petalocera, forming the typical group of 

 the same division, present us with all the perfections and 

 habits belonging to their kind. These families of beetles 

 live only upon fresh vegetables ; they are diurnal, and 

 sport in the glare of day, pure in their food, elegant in 

 their shapes, and beautiful in their colours.'"* 



The third type (first of the three aberrant), called by 

 Mr. Swainson the natatorial, or aquatic, are chiefly 

 remarkable for their bulk, the disproportionate size of 

 * "Distribution and Classification of Animals," p. 24S. 



