NEW BRITISH SPECIES, ETC., IN 1868. 3 



widest views of Geographical and Geological causes down to 

 a voluminous Directory of the names and addresses of all 

 (French and German) Coleopterists, —the idea of which is 

 confessedly taken from similar lists of British Entomologists in 

 former " Annuals," — with a separate chapter on the principal 

 public and private collections. 



Another Berlin Catalogue has also appeared, under the 

 auspices of Dr. F. Stein. This, however, is professedly not 

 posted up to the day ; for the author, in his preface, whilst 

 expressing a hope that the most excellent new things have 

 not escajjcd his notice, confesses nevertheless that certain 

 species, especially those of English authors, have remained 

 unknown to him. He excuses himself by stating that he 

 has not easily got together the very copious literature pub- 

 lished during the six years that have transpired since Prof. 

 Schaum's death (though M. de Marseul, malgre his other 

 somewhat voluminous Entomological occupations, has con- 

 trived somehow to do so). Intending to notice this Catalogue 

 in another place, I abstain here from pointing out the rather 

 numerous errors that it contains. 



Of works by British Coleopterists there is little to re- 

 cord, beyond disconnected notices. Dr. Sharp, however, 

 has (in the Entom. Monthly Mag.), in addition to an enu- 

 meration, &c. of our species of Malthodes, described our 

 GyrinidcBj prefacing his descriptions with a most careful 

 and interesting account of their structural peculiarities. As 

 regards, however, one or two of the most puzzling species 

 ■which he very clearly defines, I admit that I fail to connect 

 his exponents with the original descriptions. But it is pre- 

 cisely in these obscure groups that the thankless task of 

 working out even an approximation to the truth is most 

 needed ; and I may here remark that I trust in the next 

 " Annual " to have to record the result of a very difficult 



b2 



