from the Eastern Archipelago. 199 



normal species of the 01<1 World. Having regard to the aber- 

 rant portion, these differences may perhaps be best shown in 

 a tabular form : — 



True Zygopinte. — Episterna of the metathorax broad, parallel, separating 



the posterior coxae from the elytra; eyes always 



large, generally occupying the whole of the head or 



nearly so. 



A pectoral canal; funicle of seven joints. All the 



Neiv- World Zytjopinte. 

 Without a pectoral canal, or, if with one, then with a 

 funicle of six joints ; or with a funicle of seven joints 

 without a pectoral canal. Old- IVorld Zygopime. 



Aberrant Zygopinse. — Episterna of the metathorax narrow {Nauplusus, 

 ex.), often indistinct, leaving tlie postenor coxse in 

 contact with the elytra ; eyes of moderate size. 



Perhaps entomologists only can appreciate the really won- 

 derful collections made by Mr. Wallace, especially when we 

 consider how poor the collections are, even the Dutch ones, 

 which are occasionally sent to Europe. In this family Curcu- 

 lionidffi, to which the Zygopinaj belong, exclusive of the other 

 Rhynchophorous groups, it is probably within the mark to say 

 that he obtained during his travels among the eastern islands 

 not less than a thousand species ; and I think I am not far out 

 of the way in estimating the number of new ones at nine- 

 tenths of the whole. But even the knowledge we have thus 

 obtained is insufficient to enable us to place any great depen- 

 dence on the distribution or limitation of their beetle-fauna. 

 If we suppose that Mr. Wallace has collected even half the 

 species inhabiting these vast regions, extending for more than 

 4000 miles in length and about 1300 in breadth, it is obvious 

 that in doubling the number results might be obtained which 

 would very considerably modify any conclusions we may 

 arrive at now. For instance, in the great island of Borneo, 

 Sarawak, a small district on the north-west was the only pai't 

 visited by Mr, Wallace ; it is quite possible that on the south- 

 east coast, opposite to and in one part not more than seventy 

 miles from Celebes, the fauna might be found as allied to the 

 "Australian region" of the archipelago as the north-western 

 or, rather, the Sarawak fauna undoubtedly is to the " Indian 

 region " — that is, supposing the Malayan-peninsular fauna is 

 to be called Indian. 



Wallace's Straits (as that portion of the sea has been called 

 which separates Borneo, Java, &c. on the west from Celebes 

 and the islands to the east of it as far as New Guinea) may in 

 other branches of the fauna mark off the two regions alluded 

 to ; but, it seems to me, for the Coleoptera they do not show 

 any stronger line of demarcation than would probably be 

 found in taking other parts of the archipelago of about equal 



