Natural-History Collectors. 4113 



Proceedings of Natural- History Collectors in Foreign Countries. 



Mr. H. W. Bates.* — "Santarem, March 10, 1853. — The collec- 

 tion I now send, small in bulk, but numerous in minute species, will, 

 I hope, reach you safely and in good condition. The unusually dry 

 weather we had up to the middle of February, was unfavourable to 

 the appearance of small Hymenoptera, Hemiptera and moths, of which, 

 had it been otherwise, I know I could have collected great numbers, 

 and of different species, as sent you last year, in May. My research- 

 es, which I recommenced as soon as I recovered from the effects of 

 my Tapaj os journey, since the beginning of December last have been 

 chiefly in entirely new ground, — moist forests on banks of rivulets 

 at two leagues distance from Santarem. I had begun to work the 

 small Coleoptera before I received your letter of October 7, 1852, in 

 which you recommend me to do so ; and I wish to call your atten- 

 tion to them. You will find a number of small species of Cleridae, 

 curious species of Pelonium, especially one like a very small Tele- 

 phorus, Platynoptera, Priocera, &c. : from what I can make out with 

 the capital resume of the 2nd vol. of Chenu, and the British Museum 

 Catalogue, some of these must be new. They require very close 

 searching for, most of them being very quiet, feeding on the under 

 side of the leaves of spiny palms in swamps. There are several spe- 

 cies of different genera of Pselaphidae, Tyrus, Euplectus, Bryaxis and 

 Scydmaenus, which, together with other things, I find at roots of trees 

 on the borders of swamps. I have a unique specimen of a new spe- 

 cies of Metopias, Gory, with spined thorax arid elytra ; only one was 

 previously known, M. curculionides, found by Lacordaire at Cayenne. 

 I have searched closely for further specimens, at present without suc- 

 cess. In similar localities I found all the small Trechi, Bembidia, 

 ^Egse, Lachnophori, and small Staphylinidae, as well as the Dyschirii 

 and Clivina ; most of the latter do not belong to the European genera, 

 but are very different, and curious in their forms. Then there is a 

 variety of minute Curculionidae and Bruchi, especially of genera allied 

 to Baris, Mecinus, &c. ; all are found at flowers of various kinds. I 

 think I have still with me double the number of species now sent, 

 which, by degrees, I shall sort out and remit. All these things follow 

 pretty much the same rule as the larger Coleoptera ; that is, indivi- 

 duals are not numerous, but species of endless diversity. There are 



* Communicated by Mr. S. Stevens. 

 XI. 3 E 



