Notice of a fossil Termes. 75 



and it appears also well established that the insects dissemi- 

 nated in fragments of amber, that we find in great quantity 

 on the coasts of the "Baltic sea, approach generally to species 

 peculiar to distant regions. 



However this remark, according to my opinion, is not 

 applicable to the class Arachnida, or at least to the spiders 

 properly so called. I have been led to think so, and 

 the examination of many portions of amber, and the silence 

 of all authors on the discovery of new genera of spiders, 

 have rendered my opinion more certain. M. Walkenaer, 

 a celebrated arachneologist, has given the description of a 

 new species of the genus Alius, found in a fragment of 

 amber from the collection of M. Faujas de Saint-Fond, 

 having a great analogy with certain European species. 

 M. Marcel de Serres cites also a species of Tegenaria, 

 determined by the same arachneologist, and found in the 

 insectiferous formation of Aix : I possess also certain frag- 

 ments of amber containing two spiders, one of which ap- 

 pears to me to belong to the genus Tegenaria. 



As to insects properly speaking, we find them often in a 

 fossil state, analogous to exotic species. MM. Defrance, 

 Brongniart, and Germar, have indicated many individuals of 

 the genus Curculio unknown in Europe. M. Desmarets has 

 discovered Termites in amber, which seem peculiar to India 

 and Africa. According to the testimony of M. Latreille 

 there only exists two species of this genus in Europe. 



Among the fragments of amber which I received from 

 Koenigsberg there was one which contained two insects of 

 the same species, belonging to the family of Planipens and 

 to the genus Termes, they are joined together, and sur- 

 rounded with air bubbles, not so as to prevent me from 

 seeing by the aid of the microscope the whole of the 

 inferior part of the body of one of the individuals. 



I shall now give the distinguishing character of my fossil 

 insect. 



