ON THE LAMELLICORNES. 51.3 



Aphodius. Such was in this respect the state of the science 

 when M. Latreille published the third volume of his General 

 History of Crustacea and Insects. The third division of the 

 scaraboei mentioned above, there compose a peculiar family, 

 that of the coprophagi, and which presents a new genus, that 

 of onthophagus. Those of Lethrus and geotrupes form 

 another family, that of geotrupini, a thirds that of scara- 

 hcBides, and to which he united the Lucani and passali, com- 

 prehend, beside the scarabaei of the first division as above, 

 hexodon and cetonia. But this last genus is less extended 

 there by the adoption of another, that of Trichius, and the 

 establishment of another generic section, that of rutela, which 

 is formed of the cetoniae of the third division. M. Latreille 

 also divides Melolontha into many small families, from consi- 

 derations taken from the antennae, the claws of the tarsi, and 

 the form of the body. A new genus is also there presented, 

 that of glaphyrus, which he detached from the preceding. 

 Fabricius, in his system of Eleutherata^ has not departed 

 from the method which he adopted in his Supplement to the 

 Systematic Entomology. Some subsequent changes were 

 then made in this division by M. Latreille, and finally it was 

 modified, as our readers have seen, in the " Regne Animal.'" 

 We shall not apologize for this slight notice of the history 

 of the changes made in the classification of the ScarahcEi. 

 It is true that we do not very frequently enter into details of 

 this kind, in this department of our labours ; but in the 

 instance before us we deem them of some importance in 

 elucidating the researches, and assisting the studies of the 

 zealous entomologist, though they may be passed over by 

 such as merely take up Natural History as an amusement. 

 In fact, without some examination into these matters, it is 

 impossible to take up an author with any advantage, or to 

 know precisely what subject he is treating on. The continual 

 revolutions in nomenclature are greatly to be deprecated, but 



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