298 Transactions.—Zoology. 
necessity which exists for a latin classification, I may mention that in 
Wellington these beetles are generally called, absurdly enough, “New Zealand 
bees.” The larva inhabits deep burrows excavated in the sand, and almost 
every steep bank in the province is perforated by them. The habits of the 
larvæ and perfect insect are similar, both being equally fierce, and exclusively 
carnivorous. 
Proceeding next to the numerous and important family of the Carabide 
we shall find that we have but one species at all worthy of comparison with 
the twelve fine species of Carabus which are found in the mother country. 
The splendid genus Calosoma is, so far as I know, totally wanting. The same 
may be said of the beautiful Callistus and Drypta, and the curious Brachinus. 
Indeed, I may take this opportunity of remarking that although the New 
Zealand insects in many cases closely resemble English ones, yet: this resem- 
blance is almost always to small and dull coloured species, and hardly ever 
to the fine or conspicuous ones, The large beetle to which I have alluded 
above is Feronia australasie ? It is about an inch long, of a bronze colour, 
and very common in the neighbourhood of Christchurch under wood and 
stones. Seven other species of Feronia occur in New Zealand, but, owing to 
the loss of my collection, I cannot say how many of them I have taken in 
Canterbury. The Islands, and probably this province, possess at least five 
species of Anchomenus very similar to their English relatives. The genus 
Amara, so numerous in England, and which comprises what children call 
“sunshiny beetles,” does not occur in the “Zoology of the ‘ Erebus’ and 
‘Terror,’” but having taken a considerable number of specimens quite lately I 
feel certain that either it or a closely allied genus is common in Canterbury. 
The remarkable genus Broscus is well represented in New Zealand, but most 
of its specimens appear to have come from Otago. I may remark that none of 
them equal in size the single British species Broscus cephalotes, which is 
usually found under stones on the sea coast. Of the extensive genus 
Harpalus, which numbers twenty-eight species in England, I am only sure of 
having taken a single one, H. nove-zealandie. It is abundant at certain 
seasons of the year upon the sand-hills near Christchurch. I am not able to 
afford any more information with regard to this important family, but I 
may note that many of our species have been recently described by Count 
de Castelnau in the Proceedings of the Royal Society of Victoria, but I have 
enluckily mislaid his paper. Farmers and gardeners will do well to observe 
that all members of the families Cicindelide and Caribide, being carnivorous, 
are extremely beneficial to them, and should on no account be destroyed, 
We have now arrived at the interesting family of the Dytiscide, or water- 
beetles, with which New Zealand is but poorly provided so far as the number 
of species is concerned, though the individuals comprising them are often very 
