Brown.—On the Coleoptera of Auckland, New Zealand, 265 
therefore, probable that they will abstain from interference with others under 
circumstances much more favourable to the fish. 
Some specimens from the South Island are much prettier than any we 
possess; but nearly all the members of this class being nameless as yet, I 
can give little information respecting them. 
BRACHELYTRA. 
Etaphylinus oculatus, a carrion beetle, may be accepted as the type of 
this section, as well as of the indigenous carrion-feeders. This class, 
divided into thirteen families, cémprising some seven hundred species in 
Britain alone, furnishes my cabinet with rather less species than the num- 
ber of families I have mentioned. I possess six from Canterbury, differing 
from ours mostly in unimportant details ; but two of our species are rather 
more finely-coloured than those of the South Island. I found numerous in- 
dividuals of one small, dull species, on the sea beach of the East Coast under 
Algz, even to a depth of two feet below the surface. Of the Brachelytra, 
it may be confidently asserted that New Zealand will not provide much 
more than a fiftieth of the number of species found in Britain, and none at 
all equal to those which adorn the cabinet of the British collector. 
NEcROPHAGA. 
The Carrion, or Burying Beetles so abundant in most other countries, do 
not appear to have been equally partial to New Zealand. I possess two 
species of Histeride, one of them closely. resembling those which occur in 
the South Island, neither of them have been described as yet, so far as I 
am aware. I have taken two other Carrion-feeders (besides Staphylinus 
oculatus), which I believe will exhaust the list, so far as really indigenous 
insects of the class is concerned. ‘The small blue and red insect, found in 
considerable numbers amongst bones and decaying animal matter, is an 
importation from abroad named Necrobia rufipes. 
LAMELLICORNES. 
Of the Melolonthide, the most familiar to us is the brilliant green 
Pyronota festiva, abundant for the greater portion of the year on Leptos- 
permum, and unfortunately on such of our orchard trees as bear stone fruit ; 
being exclusively vegetable feeders, they are exceedingly injurious to the 
trees we so desire to preserve. This insect varies in colour ; I have taken 
several varieties, though all have a bright metallic hue. I have occasionally 
captured an insect, resembling Pyronota festiva, but four times larger which 
I imagine to be Stethaspis suturalis, most probably the finest specimen of 
the group we shall find. It is more common at Wellington than Auckland. 
Odontria striata, a rather handsome beetle, as well as two species belong- 
ing to Rhysotrogus, I have, now and then, found in the morning entangled 
in spiders’ webs, but, not under other circumstances, and ae therefore 
I 
