7028 Notices of New Boolcs. 



infests an American paliu of ihe genus Bactris, and which had been first figured by 

 Jacqiio in his 'History of Select Americjm Plants,' pi. 170. According to Schon- 

 herr, this species of the allied Bruchus Nucleorura of Fabricius are at once dis- 

 tinguished by having the intermediate joints of the antennae marked on the upper 

 side with a deep oblong impression. It may, however, probably be questioned 

 whether in the absence of specimens reared from the same species of palm, there is 

 sufficient ground for the distinct identification of the Linnean species. In the 

 'Proceedings of the Entomological Society,' September 4lh, 1854, some seeds of the 

 wax palm of the Brazils, Copernicia cerifera, were exhibited, together with the beetles 

 reared from them. These were purchased by Mr. Westwood at the sale of the 

 Society's exotic collection, and are now in the Hopeian Museum at Oxford. 

 The beetles agreed with Gyllenhall's diagnosis of Bruchus Bactris in Schonherr 

 (i. p. 93). 



Latreille's Bruchus curvipes (described and figured by Humboldt, Obs. de 

 Zoologie, p. 158) was obtained from the fruit of a palm near Serullo, in New Spain. 

 It has longer black antennae, with entire joints. Germar's Bruchus ruficornis infests 

 cocoa nuts brought to Europe, — the fruit, apparently of a species of Bactris (probably 

 Bruchus minor); it difl'ers from Latreille's species in having red fore legs and 

 antennae, but is given as synonymous with it by Schonherr, without, as appears, suf- 

 ficient cause. 



Sir William Hooker had forwarded to Mr. Westwood a larva of one of these large 

 species of Bruchi found in the interior of a seed of a palm (a species of Astrocaryum 

 from Bahia) which had been received at the Koyal Gardens, Kew : the larva diflFered 

 in no respect from that of the Coquilla nut. Mr. Westwood had also obtained the 

 nut of another kind of palm, in the interior of which was found a perfect beetle, which 

 seems in no respect to differ from Bruchus ruficornis of Germar. Mr. Kirby also pos- 

 sessed a specimen of a large and closely-allied Bruchus, evidently obtained, from its 

 not fully-developed state, from the interior of some nut, also purchased by Mr. West- 

 wood, but having much larger and more strongly-serrated posterior femora, A speci- 

 men of the Coquilla-uut beetle itself is preserved in spirits in the Christ Church 

 Museum, Oxford, in company with the nut and its larva. It also seems to agree 

 with Bruchus ruficornis, so as to preclude the necessity of giving it a distinct 

 specific name, until a more detailed examination of the allied species can be made. 

 The species allied to Bruchus ruficornis are distinguished from Bruchus Bactris, 

 not only in the smooth intermediate joints of the antennae, but also in having the 

 sutural stria of the elytra simple at its base ; in the latter species it is accom- 

 panied at the base by two very short rows of punctures like an acute V". — E. 8. 



Notices of New Books. 



Day after day I regret the way in which these notices have fallen 

 into arrear ; but how unavailing is regret ! Let me, however, call 

 attention to the extracts, which number after number of the 

 * Zoologist ' contains : these are the cream of the zoological litera- 

 ture of our period ; and exhibit our progress in its most favorable 



