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one little fellow which I stopped first at a distance of about two inches from its 
deserted cocoon by the touch of my pencil, after shamming death for a few minutes 
and trying again to get away in the same direction, when my breathing over it 
caused it to mimic a pellet of earth for the second time, to my great astonishment, 
turned right round after a short rest, and nimbly crawled back to its own cocoon, 
and entered it. Turned out again, and left at the same distance from its home, it 
was not long in retracing its steps into the same cell, where it remained motionless 
for the next four hours, without stirring out again. And there I left it, as it was 
getting late. 
The conclusions I draw from this single fact may be based upon insufficient 
evidence, but I do not shrink from stating them. They are, firstly—that instinct 
is hereditary as proved by the beetle using its power of shamming death almost 
instantly after its first extrusion; and secondly —that apart from this power it 
possessed the faculty of will, as it tried a distinct plan of safety when the usual 
means of protection failed. 
An unbroken, even surface lay all round ; the beetle meant to escape ; obstacles 
arose ; hereditary instinct tried to met them, but owing to changed surrounding 
conditions, it signally failed in doing so. Now what did occur: this little creature 
did exhibit a plain proof of possessing a spark of what proud man is apt to term his 
“ god-like reason,” by getting the better of its instinct for its own welfare’s sake. 
The enormous chasm separating man’s will and insect volition will probably 
never be bridged over; but it is not derogatory to the true dignity of our race 
humbly to confess, that the difference, however great, is not absolute, but one of 
degree, because, even with our will-force in its most concentrated state, we cannot 
climb to the top of the ladder, but must content ourselves with the conception of a 
fountain head of volition, as infinitely incomparable to our own will as eternity is 
to time.—ALBErtT MULLER, South Norwood, 8.E., May 15th, 1870. 
Capture of Strophosomus hirtus, Schén., Walt.—In the spring of 1868, I pur- 
chased some early primroses wrapped up in moss, the latter having evidently been 
gathered at the same spot as the flowers, and bound round their roots to keep them 
moist. Jt occurred to me to loosen this binding, and shake it well over paper ; and, 
having done so, I succeeded in finding (besides several commoner species) a fine 
fresh specimen of Tropi(do)phorus carinatus! This year, I thought I would try my 
Inck again; and accordingly, early in April, the weather being cold at the time, I 
invested sixpence : now, although it may have been true enough, as regards Peter 
| Bell (who, as I presume, was no Coleopterist) that 
“ A primrose at the river’s brim 
A simple primrose was to him, 
And it was nothing more :” 
‘yet it turned out considerably more to me; for careful search of the roots and 
Bross produced one small beetle, quite unknown, but which, after some trouble (very 
few collections containing the insect) was identified by Messrs. F. Smith and C. O. 
aterhouse, of the British Museum, as the Strophosomus hirtus of Schénherr and 
Walton (= Platytarsus setulosus, Schén., Seidlitz; Ent. Ann., 1869, p. 46).—W. 
G. Pexertn, 10, Hertford Villas, Montague Road West, Dalston, June, 1870. 
