Dec. 23, 1886] 



NA TURE 



77 



people who view the whole subject from different stand- 

 points, have done good appears to be admitted. The 

 future will show. 



NEW ZEALAND COLEOPTERA ' 

 T N an important memoir quite recently published, Dr. 

 ■•■ Sharp describes a large number of new species of 

 Coleoptera from New Zealand. Although the entomology 

 of these islands is of considerable interest, it is still very 

 imperfectly known, and a quite erroneous idea as to its 

 poverty is very often found to e.\ist. LinnMus knew of no 

 Coleoptera from the group, but a small number had been 

 obtained by the naturalists of Capt. Cook's voyage. Some 

 of these were described by Fabricius about a century ago, 

 and a few of these are still to be found in the Banksian 

 Collection at South Kensington, but from Cook's day 

 until the date when the island was visited by Her Majesty's 

 ships Erebus and Terror little was done in the way of 

 investigation. When Adam White published the account 

 of the Coleoptera of this last Expedition (1S46), he enu- 

 merated all the species of the group known to date to 

 inhabit New Zealand, and the total was about 150 ; how- 

 ever, between 1S66 and the present time, the greatly 

 increased activity of collectors swelled the number of 

 species known to nearly 1500, and in the memoir we 

 are now noticing Dr. Sharp describes 141 additional 

 forms. Dr. Sharp still, however, regards the Coleo- 

 pterous fauna as very incomplete, and on the con- 

 sideration of such data as he possesses ventures on 

 an estimate that between 3000 and 3500 species will 

 probably be found in New Zealand ; so that there is 

 an immense field still open for collectors. The fauna 

 so far as known is very analogous to that of Europe in 

 extent and complexness. The species when examined 

 show similar structures, exhibiting analogous gradations 

 and cross affinities, but the New Zealand insects possess 

 a larger proportion of forms in which the structures are 

 less perfect — comparatively, as it were, little evoluted. In 

 brilliancy of colour and in large and conspicuous forms, 

 the New Zealand Coleoptera are very deficient, but to the 

 specialist they make up for this in the interest attaching 

 to many of them as isolated forms having, so far as is at 

 present known, little or no connection with the ordinary 

 Coleopterous fauna of the island. 



While the data are so imperfect it is obvious that no 

 reliable answer can be given to the question of the atfini- 

 ties of the New Zealand fauna ; but Dr. Sharp, from what 

 is known, entertains the impression that it will be in the 

 Chilian and Patagonian fauna that the greatest amount 

 of affinity will be found, and that, while numerous points 

 of propinquity with the Australian fauna undoubtedly 

 exist, yet they are rather exceptions dealing with isolated 

 forms, and but little affect the mass of the fauna. 



Lasiorhynchus barbicornis is the only member of the 

 lirenthidaa found in New Zealand, and is perhaps the 

 most remarkable beetle of the islands ; it must be con- 

 sidered a highly evoluted form, the sexual differentiation 

 being great, with remarkable male characters, large size, 

 and considerable perfection of general structure, and 

 while it appears to be quite foreign to the New Zealand 

 fauna, it would seem to have no really close ally in any 

 other country. 



Another isolated form, of large size, for many years 

 known, but still a great rarity, is Dendroblax. Its posi- 

 tion has never been satisfactorily fixed ; it has no ally in 

 New Zealand, and no near ally out of it. Such cases are 

 extremely difficult to explain. Dr. Sharp thinks it pos- 

 sible that there has been going on in New Zealand, for 

 an enormous period of time, the evolution of a fauna 

 parallel with that of the continents of the world, and that 

 during this period it has occasionally received intrusions 



' "On New Zealand Coleopler.i, with Descriptions of New Genera and 

 Species." By David Sharp, M.B. With two plates. (Dublin, 1886.) 



from other countries, some of which have continued to 

 evolute since their introduction, while others have re- 

 mained with little change. On such a view Dendroblax 

 might be an ancient intrusion into New Zealand, which 

 has become extinct elsewhere, and has evoluted but Uttle 

 in New Zealand ; while Lasiorhynchus might have 

 evoluted much since its introduction. 



This memoir forms a part of the Scientijic Transactions 

 of the Royal Dublin Society, and both as regards the 

 paper and press-work it is extremely creditable to the 

 Society. The two quarto plates contain fifty figures of 

 the new species described. These are from the pencil of 

 Baron Schlereth, of Vienna, and are among the best 

 illustrations of Coleoptera we have seen. The plates 

 have been printed after a new and brilliant process by 

 Bannwarth, of Vienna. 



THE RELIEF OF EM IN PASHA 

 17 \'ERYBODY seems agreed that Dr. Schnitzler, better 

 ■'--' known as Emin Bey, but recently created Emin 

 Pasha, ought to be relieved ; for he does not want to be 

 rescued. For ten years he has been in the Egyptian 

 service, for most of that time as Governor of the Equa- 

 torial Province, which, in spite of the Mahdi and his 

 hordes, the death of Gordon, and the collapse of the 

 Egyptian Soudan, he continues to administer with success, 

 and to the comfort and satisfaction of all but slavers. 

 What Emin Pasha has done for science in the little 

 leisure left him by his arduous duties, the readers of 

 Pe/i-riiiann's Mittciliingen and the Proceedings of the 

 Zoological Society know. He is a good type of the kind 

 of explorer that is wanted now that mere pioneering 

 work has been pretty well e.xhausted : a man well quali- 

 fied by his scientific training to remain in a particular 

 region for years if necessaiy, and study it in all its 

 aspects. We have had such men in the past : some of 

 the greatest names in science could be mentioned as 

 examples. We do not insist in these pages on the great 

 services which Emin Pasha has rendered to civilisation 

 duiing his residence in the Soudan, first as the noble- 

 minded Gordon's lieutenant, and latterly as one who, 

 in the spirit of Gordon, resolved to stick to what he con- 

 ceived to be the post of duty at all hazards. Our own 

 Government has virtually admitted its responsibility for 

 the present position of Emin Pasha, but has weakly 

 attempted to shirk its duty by devolving the business of 

 relief on private individuals. Should disaster happen, 

 however, to Emin Pasha or to any expedition sent to his 

 relief, we may be sure that public opinion will not blame 

 any private individuals. Government, however, has gone 

 so far as to promise every assistance short of contributing 

 money. 



It is unfortunate that already there has been a delay of 

 several months since first we knew of Emin Pasha's 

 critical position, and since first the Intelligence Depart- 

 ment began to make inquiries as to the best route for a 

 relief expedition. Even now, when an expedition has 

 been decided upon, there seems little prospect of a speedy 

 start. Surely, if those to whose hands the 10,000/. con- 

 tributed by the Egyptian Government have been intrusted 

 had the interests of Emin Pasha solely at heart, a com- 

 petent leader would have by this time been within hail of 

 Zanzibar. A better leader, under the conditions, than Mr. 

 Stanley could probably not be found ; but surely there 

 has been unnecessary delay in deciding to send him. The 

 idea of more than one expedition is entertained by many; 

 and as our map will show, the most direct and safest 

 route is by Masai Land, about which we now know so 

 much through the journeys of Mr. Thomson and the late 

 Dr. Fischer. Dr. Junker telegraphs from Zanzibar that a 

 relief expedition is urgently necessary, and that as fight- 

 ing is inevitable, Mr. Stanley ought to be sent. By the 

 Masai Land route, as shown on the map, avoiding Unyoro 



