150 HORN EXPEDITION — SUMMARY. 



(Jucciisl.incl, and it may pcrliaps \)v l^est regarded as one of those forms siicli as 

 (Ik; burrowing frogs wliich liave Ween al>le to make tlieir way into the Centre 

 owing to their eapahility of burrowing and so of surviving during periods of 

 drouglit. 



Li'fudoptcra. — The collection (jf Lepidoptera was of necessity a snjall one, as 

 itr was made during the winter months wdien only a few wiu'e to be obtained. .Save 

 during the early piirt of the Expedition no insects were even attracted to the liglit 

 at night time and the collection of Lepidoptera excei)t iu the case of a very few 

 forms was practically imjiossilije. Tlic most plentiful forms which were widely 

 sjircad over the; district were the introduced Daiiais pelilia and the ubiquitous 

 ryranicis cardiii (var. kersJiawi). 



Colcoplcra. — In the Colc(»ptcra ((exclusive of the Caraljida') the same dilliculty 

 was experienced as in the case of Lepidoptei'a — th(3 time of year was unfavouralile. 

 TIk' eight hundred specimens secured represent one liundred and forty-five species, 

 of whicii sixty-two are n(;w, and of these four are referred by Mr. Blackburn to 

 new genera. Iu the Carabidtu thirty-two species were collected, of which four 

 are new. 



A consideralile number of species of Coleoptera have already been recorded 

 fiom Central Australia, and 1 am indebted to the Kev. T. Blackburn for the 

 following general note upon the Coleopteran fauna of Central Australia : — 



"It is very douljtful whether the facts hitherto ascertained in respect of the 

 Colctiptcra of Cential Australia are sutliciently numerous to warrant any general 

 conclusions founded upon tluan. Most persons (myself included) who have visited 

 what is conunonly called the "stony desert" to investigate the subject have found 

 the Cokoptcm very rare liut have been informed Ity residents that at some season 

 of the yea)' (other than the then present season) they are very plentiful. A 

 recpiest, howe\'er, to procure and forward a large batch, at the time of plenty, 

 leads to small results (in several instances I am satisfied that this has not arisen 

 from unwillingness to take the requisite trouble). But the conclusion it would be 

 natural to draw from such experiences is probably incorrect, for on the occasion 

 most fav(_)rable to the resolution of the matter (viz., the residence for about si.x 

 months at one locality in Central Australia of Mr. A. Zietz, a scientilic collector, 

 though not especially a Coleopterist, nor able to devote much time to the 

 Coleoptera) the local tradition was verified by the observation of Mr. Zietz that on 

 certain occasions, usually I understand the brewing of a thunderstorm, Coleoptera 



