so MANDIBULATA.— COLEOPTERA. 



specific identity of several of tlie bees described in his invaluable 

 Monograpliia Apum Anglise, and offers the following apologetical 

 remarks in the introduction thereto. — " An account of any genus, 

 perfect and elaborate in all its parts, must be the work of him who 

 is versed in the history and economy of every individual that be- 

 longs to it; He, and he only, can go upon sure grounds, for no 

 other person can in all cases with certainty distinguish the species 

 from the variety, and unite each sex to its legitimate partner." 



Notwithstanding I have introduced the colour of the basal joints 

 of the labial palpi into my specific characters of Ci. hybrida, riparia, 

 and Sylvicola, I am now convinced that it is of little or no import- 

 ance in discriminating these insects from each other, as in my 

 specimens of Ci. aprica I have one of the typical variety with the 

 labial palpi nearly all metallic-green, and the variety jS has those 

 parts deep cserulescent-green with purplish tinges, and I now pos- 

 sess one specimen of Ci, hybrida which has their basal joints nearly 

 white : I therefore presume that the colour varies with the age 

 of the individual : however, with regard to the palpi of Ci. Syl- 

 vicola, I must, injustice to myself, observe, that in consequence of 

 my remarks upon the alleged difference in the colour of those 

 organs, between the only indigenous specimen of that insect and 

 Ci. hybrida, I have been disingenuously accused of misrepresenta- 

 tion, and of augmenting rather than of removing error, because I 

 employed the words accidentally reversed; thereby tacitly admitting 

 the palpi of the last-named insect to be of 2i ferruginous tinge — an 

 unimportant fact which I conceive requires no correction, inasmuch 

 as they are usually of a ntfescent hue : nevertheless, from what I 

 have above observed, the actual colour of the palpi is evidently of 

 trifling consequence ; the only point worthy of attention respecting 

 them being, that they are invariably of a pale hue in Ci. hybrida, 

 and never become dark coloured in it, as in the kindred species ; 

 though it is remarkable that the only foreign specimen of Sylvicola, 

 which I have had an opportunity of examining, should possess nigro- 

 cserulescent labial palpi *. 



* As this lengthened but 1 trust useful digression has necessarily occupied 

 considerable space, I have increased the stipulated number of pages in the pre^ 

 sent number ; and I embrace this opportunity of correcting a mistake in the 

 characters of the section Adephaga^, wherein it is inadvertently stated that one, 

 pair of the palpi is attached to the mandibles, instead of the lahiuni or lower lip. 



