212 MR. A. MURRAY'S MONOGRAPH OF THE FAMILY OF NITIDULARIA. 
looking to the uncertainty of human life, I thought it would be well if the information I 
had accumulated were put beyond the reach of casualties. 
Finding from my friend Dr. Gray that it was still uncertain when the Museum might 
be able to publish my manuscript, T, with his approval, resolved to offer to transfer it to 
this Society, as likely to bring it out more speedily, should it seem to the Council 
worthy of that honour. 
So much for the origin of this paper. "The next point which I should wish to advert 
to is the materials I have had to work with. This is of some importance, as showing the 
degree of pains bestowed in perfecting it, and the probable proportion of accessible ' 
materials which have been embodied in it. In the first place, then, the Monograph 
contains the results of examinations of the whole of the specimens in the British and 
Oxford Museums, of those in the Jardin des Plantes (including Blanchard's and D'Or- 
bigny's types), of those in the Copenhagen Museum, in the Berlin Museum (including 
Erichson’s types), and in the Stockholm Museum (including Bohemann's). It contains 
those in the private collections of Dr. Leconte of Philadelphia (including the types of his 
species), those in the collections of the Marquis de Laferté-Sénectére (including Dejean's 
collection), Chevrolat, Marseuil, Javet, Guérin-Méneville, Fairmaire, Brissot, Chabrillac, 
Sallé, Deyrolle, Bonvouloir, and most of the other Parisian entomologists, of Lacordaire 
and Candèze in Belgium, of Schiódte and Westermann at Copenhagen, of Förster at Aix- 
la-Chapelle (including the types of his species of Meligethes), of Riel at Cassel, of Haage 
and Heyden at Frankfort, of Bruck at Crefeld, of Dohrn at Stettin, of Gerstäcker, Kraatz 
and Schaum at Berlin (including Germar’s types), those of Kiesenwetter at Bautzen, 
of Obert and Motschoulsky at St. Petersburg, of Markel at Dresden, of Rosenhauer at 
Erlangen, of Sturm at Nuremberg (including his types), and of our own chief coleopterists 
in Britain—Westwood, Saunders, Waterhouse, Parry, Hamlet Clark, Pascoe, Fry, &c. 
The veteran Wm. Sharpe M‘Leay has contributed of his stores in Australia; Mr. Nietner 
made for me an admirable collection of Nitidularie in Ceylon; Count Castelnau and 
Dr. Traill at Siam and Singapore, Mr. Bowring in China, Mr. Hepburn in California, 
Mr. Wedderspoon in Chili, Dr. Jameson at Quito, and the Hudson Bay Company's officers 
in the north of America, all kindly added to my materials. Mr. Bates's entire collection 
of Nitidularie made on the Amazon was secured for the Museum, as was that of Mr. Wal- 
lace made in Celebes, Batchian, and the other places he visited; and the chief dealers 
in insects, Messrs. Stevens, Deyrolle, &o., preserved for me whatever novelties came into 
their hands. To numerous other less-known entomologists 1 owe thanks for their 
liberal contributions. : These have enabled me to do much to increase the collection of 
the British Museum. To fill its blanks I have also sacrificed my own unique specimens 
wherever they were required for that purpose; so that it has now become the finest and 
best collection of this family in the world. One chief value which it possesses Js due 
to my having obtained authentic types of described species from the original describers 
themselves wherever it was possible. To Professors Peters, Gerstiicker, and Schaum I owe 
types of a large proportion of Erichson's species. Boheman has given me types of most 
of his Caffrarian described species. Förster and Rosenhauer gave me their species 
Meligethes, and Leconte has sent me his newly described Californian and other American 
