2 A CATALOGUE OF THE INSECTS OF 



at the present time. Moreover, since then an immense change 

 has taken place in the nomenclature of Coleoptera, which has 

 rendered many of our specific names obsolete. I at first in- 

 tended to make only a supplement to the catalogue, but on 

 drawing together the additions, errors, and corrections, I found 

 them to be so numerous, that the only way to avoid confusion 

 was to rewrite the whole. This I have done in as concise a 

 manner as possible, only admitting such matter as was abso- 

 lutely necessary to render it a tolerably correct record of the 

 beetle fauna of the two counties. 



As will be seen by the table of families at the end of this revi- 

 sion, our fauna now contains one thousand five hundred and 

 twenty species, about one half of that of Great Britain. The 

 first catalogue contained eleven hundred and seventy-two, but 

 it included a number of incorrectly determined species and varie- 

 ties already in the list : deducting these, we find the number 

 of additions to be upwards of four hundred, or more than one- 

 third of the first census. Beyond any doubt many more remain 

 to reward future explorers ; for if we refer to the lucid yearl} r 

 summaries in the " Entomologist's Annual," by my friend E. C. 

 Rye, we will find that the Coleopterous fauna of the British 

 Islands has, for the last nine years, been increasing at the rate 

 of nearly sixty species annually ; and as yet there are no signs 

 of abatement. This we must recollect, too, is the work of a 

 small band of workers, whose occupations leave them little lei- 

 sure for such pursuits. 



Having my collection arranged after the valuable synonymical 

 catalogue of Mr. Waterhouse, I have, as a matter of convenience 

 to myself, adopted it throughout this revision, introducing such 

 alterations from those of E. C. Rye and G. R. Crotch as seemed 

 to me necessary. 



The catalogue by the latter gentleman is perhaps most in ac- 

 cord with modern continental ideas, but his omission of autho- 

 rities is a serious drawback to its usefulness. 



Most respectfully do I beg to thank those county gentlemen 

 who have so kindly allowed me to visit their estates. More 

 especially to the Right Hon. Sir William Hutt, Gibside ; E. T. 



