THE JOURNAL 



OF 



THE LINNEAN SOCIETY. 



On the Geographical Eelations of the Chief Coleopterous Fauua:. 

 By Andrew Murray. 

 [Read December 17, 1868.] * 

 Judging simply from their structure, habits, and economy, there 

 are reasons why Beetles ought to excel every other class of organ- 

 ized beings as exponents of the past geography of the globe. I 

 say so after having turned over in my mind and contrasted every 

 class of animals and plants Avith each other with the view of de- 

 termining for myself which would be most likely, through the 

 study of its geographical distribution, to throw light upon the 

 past history of the earth. I can think of none so likely to do so 

 as insects, and of insects as Beetles. 



Over all marine animals th'ey have the insuperable advantage 

 of inhabiting the enclosed instead of the enclosing spaces, of living 

 on dry land and not being able to go beyond it. Over plants, 

 with which tbeir distribution in many respects accords, they have 

 the advantage of being more difficult of dissemination, for neither 

 their eggs nor themselves are endowed with the dormant vitality 

 of seeds, nor with that endurance of exposure to different condi- 



* This paper was read on December 17, 1868, but by permission of the Council 

 I have brought it down to the state of our knowledge at the date of publication. 

 —A. M. 



T.INK. PROC. — ZOOLOGY, YOL. XI. 1 



