Wakefield. — Oix the Coleoptera of Canterbury. 299 



numerous. I once procured a single specimen about an inch long, and I 

 imagine from the description that it must have been the Cyhister hookeri of 

 White, the entomologist, who described the species collected by the naturalists 

 of the " Erebus" and "Terror." This beetle was about equal in si^e to the 

 English Dytisc7is, of which there are five species. Two species of Colymhetes 

 are described by White. One of them, C. rufimanus, is very common in 

 Christchurch, where it thiives in artesian water. All the Dytiscidce are 

 voracious creatures, and in Europe they have sometimes been credited with 

 doing damage to young fish. That D. maryinalis can destroy a fish of 

 tolerable size I have myself often proved, though I do not imagine the 

 mischief they do in this way to be appreciable. We have, apparently, no 

 representative of the hnge Hydrous piceiis, one of the largest beetles in 

 Britain, and about two inches in length. The small family of the Gyrinidm, 

 or " whirlwhigs," which may be often seen moving in circles upon the ponds 

 and ditches of Europe, seems also to be wanting. Owing to the peculiar 

 habits of water-beetles they are but seldom seen, save by the collector, and we 

 may therefore expect that our list will be largely increased. 



The division BrachpJytra, or the family Staphylinidoe. comes next in order. 

 White describes but three species, and 700 occur in Britain, so it is obvious 

 that many remain to be noticed here. These insects, on account of their long 

 slender form and short elytra, are seldom supposed to be beetles by the 

 uninitiated, though on a close inspection their affinities are obvious. Our 

 largest species is Staphylinus oculatus, which, however, is not a quarter- the 

 size of Ocypus olens, the well known " devil's coach-horse " of England. It is 

 abundant under the carcases of sheep and oxen, and though indigenous, it is 

 probably one of those insects which have increased since the colonization of 

 these islands. Only two other species are described by White, and we may 

 safely assume that all the others remaining are small and insignificant. All 

 the individuals belonging to this family render themselves useful to man 

 by removing putrefying matter and preying upon noxious insects. 



Following E-ye's classification we next arrive at the section Necrophaga, 

 the members of which feed upon dead animal substances, and which comprises 

 the burying-beetles of Europe. We need not expect to find many represen- 

 tatives of this family here. I only know of one small species belonging to 

 Saprinus, a genus which numbers 105 species in Europe. This beetle is abun- 

 dant in sheeps' heads and other carrion. I have not been able to compare it 

 with the species of Australia, but, from having found it in the carcases of 

 native birds, I think it is most likely indigenous. This species, also, has pro- 

 bably increased largely since the importation of cattle. 



Leaving out several families which I imagine to be totally wanting, we 

 come to the Melolontlddce, a family too well known to us by the ravages it 



