Insects. 9003 
question, will prevent me from giving it such a notice in detail as it 
deserves. 
I have no doubt, however, that Mr. Crotch has ample proofs and 
reasons, satisfactory at least to himself, for his alterations in the 
nomenclature now commonly in use with us; and that he will be 
ready to establish them with sufficient evidence, whenever called upon 
to do so by any coleopterist who feels an interest in the subject; and 
with regard to the new species he as introduced, I certainly think it 
incumbent upon him to furnish all the information that he possesses 
about them with as little delay as possible. 
Every one has a right to be guided entirely by his own judgment 
as to the combination of characters sufficient to distinguish a species 
from a variety, or as to grouping and transposing species, genera and 
families, but the test of correctness of opinion appears to me to consist 
in being able to persuade other observers to adopt one’s views; it is 
therefore open to Mr. Crotch either himself to elevate varieties into 
the rank of species, and to sink species as varieties (with or without 
notes of interrogation), or to follow others who have done so; even 
when Clivina collaris and fossor, Anchomenus meestus and viduus, 
and Geotrupes mutator and stercorarius, are (amongst many similar) 
respectively considered by him as specifically identical. Nor ought 
we to make any remark (except perhaps one of surprise) when the 
highly developed and eminently predatorial Brachelytra are degraded 
to the end of the list, and made to include the little abortion Claviger 
and the Pselaphide of feeble organization :—nor when the Stylopide 
are introduced into the order:—nor when the Trimera are made im- 
mediately to precede the Heteromera (apparently on account of Ly- 
coperdina being a caricature in petto of Blaps):—nor when the Scoly- 
tide are removed to the beginning of the Rhynchophora, whose usual 
arrangement is inverted: —nor when the Corylophide (including 
Alexia) are made allies to the Anisotomide, with the Trychopterygide 
to follow :—nor when the Lathridiade are placed between Atomaria 
and Mycetophagus, and the non-predatorial Philhydrida with clavate 
antenne (the aquatic representatives of the Clavicornes) are ranked 
next to the raptorial Dytiscide with filiform antenne (the aquatic 
types of the Geodephaga). 
From these examples of the foreign ideas on classification we are 
required to adopt, it may easily be believed (as indeed is the case) 
that a similar course of inversion, introduction, suppression and eleva- 
tion, has been adopted by Mr. Crotch throughout his Catalogue, inso- 
much that there is scarcely anything left unchanged; and although 
