WAKEFIELD.—On the Coleoptera of Canterbury. 301 
The larve are often found under cow-dung and logs of wood, and a short time 
since Mr. M. Walker forwarded to Dr. Haast a fine specimen of the perfect 
insect, which he had obtained by digging below high water-mark. The nearest 
ally to these beetles in my European collection is Pentodon punctatus, common 
in the vicinity of Rome, but with apparently different habits, 
Amongst the Lucanide we find the gigantic stag-beetle represented by the 
pigmy Lissotes reticulatus, a strongly made, flat insect, about six lines in 
length, and common in this province under bark and in decayed wood. 
A Dendroblax, and two species of Doreus, which seem to be remarkable, also 
occur in New Zealand, but I have not met with them in Canterbury. 
Glancing next at the Sternoxi, comprising the families Buprestidae, 
Llateride, etc., amongst which are found some of the most gorgeous beetles 
of the tropics, we at length meet with a section of which the New Zealand 
specimens are decidedly superior to the British, though not, perhaps, to those 
`of southern Europe. The English species are all small and inconspicuous, 
_ whilst several kinds of Ochosternus, commonly found here, are large and hand- 
some insects, though they cannot boast of brilliant colouring. Being without 
a collection for reference, I cannot venture to enumerate even those kinds 
which J have myself taken, but seeing that White describes twelve species of 
Elateride alone, and the number has doubtless been considerably increased 
since his time, we may safely assume that New Zealand is well represented. 
The larve of the larger species of this division live in dead wood, upon which 
the perfect insects are generally found. 
I regret that I can furnish little or no information respecting the extensive 
division of the MJalacodermi, the best known examples of which are probably > 
the “ soldiers ” and “ sailors” of Britain, and to which also the common glow- 
worm belongs. The only species contained in my slender collection is 
Nacerdes lineata, Fab., which I have taken in great numbers at Little River 
under the bark of decayed. trees. I have also a Ptinus, taken in Riccarton 
Wood by Mr. Fereday, and I find that an A topida, two species of Opilus, an 
Anobius, and three other species of Ptinus, occur in New Zealand. 
' The section Heteromera, of which the meal-worm, so well known to bird 
fanciers, may be taken as a familiar type, is next to be noticed. Our species 
are mostly small in comparison with those of Europe, but the individuals 
composing them are often exceedingly numerous. These are light-shunning 
insects found under bark and stones, and not unfrequently amongst sacks and 
clothes which have been long undisturbed. One species is often met with in 
Christchurch, but I have taken a much larger under bark in Talbot Forest, 
and I once found a small species so abundant on the sea coast beyond Amuri 
as to be a perfect nuisance. Many species of this section may be easily 
mistaken for Carabide. Adeliwm harpa’oides, a small species, affords a good 
