344 Mr. C. O. Waterhouse on Cohoptera 



producing these results, for from no other source in nature is 

 the pressure derived which penetrates in this way into the 

 skeleton. 



This is inductive evidence from physiology and compara- 

 tive anatomy. In place of it Professor Osborn has offered 

 nothing except the following passage : — '' The dominating 

 principle in construction of the backbone is maximum 

 strength with minimum weight. The ingenuity of sculpture 

 by wliich this is brought about, every single vertebra differing 

 from its fellow, baffles the Lamarckian as well as the Dar- 

 winian, and tempts us to revive the old teleological explana- 

 tion ''*. Teleology is not known as an element in science, 

 and explains nothing. 



XLVIII. — Observations on Coleoptera of the Family Bupres- 

 tidse, with Descriptions of new Species. By Chas. O. 

 Waterhouse, E.E.S. 



[Continued from p. 267.] 



Chrysaspis glabra, sp. n. 



Elongate, narrow, shining. Thorax blackish cyaneous, 

 the sides tinted with green. Elytra golden green, very 

 delicately punctured, suffused with coppery posteriorly. 



Long. 29-31 mm. 



Hab. ''Dahr el Ghazal [Colmant]," " Arrouimi (Du- 

 vivier) " {coll. Kerremans) . 



This is an elongate narrow insect like C. elongata, 01., 

 but it is less parallel-sided (with a slight tendency to be 

 elliptical) and more convex on the suture of the elytra. The 

 disk of the thorax is nearly black, marked with tine punc- 

 tures, which are not very close together ; the sides are strongly 

 and rather closely punctured. The elytra are bright golden 

 green ; the surface is extremely tinely punctured and there 

 are numerous slightly larger (but still fine) punctures, 

 forming three double lines, representing the usual costse, a 

 few being also on the interstices. Prosternum blue. Abdo- 

 men greenish golden. 



One specimen ( ^ ) has only a trace of coppery colour near 

 the apex of the elyira. In the second specimen ( ? ) the 



* ' Memoirs American Museum of Natural History/ vol. i. part 5, 

 p. 193, " A Skeleton of JJiplodocus." 



