62 Linnaan Society. 



acquired any reputation as medicinal agents, namely, that of Kreutz- 

 nach in the Palatinate, and that of Ashby-de-la-Zouch in Leicester, 

 shire, contain a much larger proportion than usual of bromine, — a 

 substance, the poisonous quality of which was ascertained by its dis- 

 coverer, Balard. The author conceives that these two recently found 

 principles exist in mineral waters in combination with hydrogen, 

 forming the hydriodic and hydrobromic acids, neutralized, in all pro- 

 bability, by magnesia, and constituting salts, which are decomposable 

 at a low temperature. He has no doubt that a sufficient supply of 

 bromine .night be procured from our English brine springs, should it 

 ever happen that a demand for this new substance were to arise. 



LINNAAN SOCIETY. 



June 1. — The President, Lord Stanley, in the chair. 



Read; the commencement of a paper by J. O. Westwood, F.L.S., 

 &c. upon the Paussidce, a family of coleopterous insects. 



The objocts which Mr. Westwood has selected for his communica- 

 tion, form, perhaps, the most interesting family of Beetles, not only 

 from the extremely singular and anomalous structure of some of their 

 most material organs (especially the antennae, which in some of the 

 insects are larger than the head and thorax together, and composed 

 of only two joints) ; but also from the circumstance of the typical 

 genus constituting the final entomological labour of the immortal 

 Linnaeus, whence, as some authors have imagined, the generic name. 

 Paussus was derived from the Latin pausa, a pause or full stop. 



The species are inhabitants of the tropical regions of the old world, 

 and do not exceed half an inch in length. 



A paper was read before the Linnsean Society in 1798, upon these 

 insects, by Professor Afzelius, to whom five species only were known. 

 Mr. Westwood has, however, described twenty-three species (besides 

 several others which have been incorrectly placed in the family,) in- 

 cluding several new genera. 



The following is the " Synopsis Generum " given by Mr. W. 



f Caput(ocellis duobus) thorace immersum S Hylotorus. 

 Antennae ( Palpi labiales articulo \ g p aussus 



quasi bi-. Caput (ocellis ultimo elongato J 



articu- | nullis) collo< 



instructum Palpi labiales articu- 1 4 platyrh luSj 



^ lis asquahbus J ' r 



Antennae quasi 1 0-articulata? 5 Cerapterus. 



Antenna? quasi 6-articulatae 1 Pentaplatarthrus. 



Elytra subovata, palpi labiales brevissiuti 6 Trochoideus. 



Gen. 1. Pentaplatarthrus, Westw. — A new and very decided genus 

 founded upon one undescribed species, which he names P. 

 paussoides. 



Gen. 2. Paussus, Linn. — Twelve species, four of which are new. 



Gen. 3. Hylotorus, Dalm. — One species. P. bucephalus, Dalm. 



Gen. 4. Platyrhopalus, Westw.— the type of which is the Paussus 

 denticornis, Don. four species, two of which are new. 



Gen. 5. Cerap- 



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