516 JOURNAL OF SCIENCE. 
examined from above seem punctate, when looked at from the side 
they appear as if rugose, t.e. with fine short transverse linear impressions, 
and the base is very finely and densely granulated. It is also larger.” 
In connection with this subject I would beg to remark, firstly, that 
it is evident that when Capt. Broun wrote his description of P. 
coronatus he was unaware of the female form of the insect, as no 
mention is made in his catalogue that the characteristic coronet of 
spines from which the species takes its name is absent in the female 
sex. Secondly, that the structural differences that Capt. Broun now 
points out consist of differences in size, a peculiar twisting of the 
intermediate and hind tibiz, and an inconspicuous variation in the 
elytral surfaces. These distinguishing characters, however, have no 
special prominence given them in his catalogue description; in fact, 
only the last two distinctions may be said to have any value, as size 
cannot be considered of the slightest importance in the description of 
Coleoptera ; throughout the order individuals of the same species vary 
greatly in size; but among the New Zealand Rhyncophore the variation 
is almost unparallelled. In support of this I may state that I have 
male specimens of Nemocephalus barbicornis ranging from thirty-four 
lines in length down to eleven only. 
Karori, Wellington, Tam, “&e., 
July 25th, 1885. Gro. VERNON Hupson. 
REVIEWS. 
> 
Transactions and Proceedings of the New Zealand Institute. 1884. 
Vol. XVII. Issued May, 1885. 
The appearance of the annual volume of the “Transactions” is 
always looked for with much interest by the scientifically inclined 
portion of the community. This year it was issued at about the usual 
time, but our copy reached us too late for a notice of it to appear in our 
last number. 
The first thing noticeable about the present volume, the seven- 
teenth of the series, is its diminished size; it contains about 100 pages 
less than its predecessors, while at the same time there are far fewer 
plates than usual. The first paper in the volume is the address 
delivered at the anniversary meeting of the New Zealand Institute by 
His Excellency Sir W. F. D. Jervois, on the defence of the colony. 
This address was delivered on Oct. 4th of last year, and was fully 
reported at the time in all the chief newspapers of the colony. Such a 
notice is however very ephemeral, and as the address must always 
constitute an important work of reference as the basis of our schemes of 
defence, its inclusion in the forefront of the current volume of “'Trans- 
actions” is very welcome. It is well illustrated by five coloured maps 
of the chief ports. 
Year by year zoological subjects attract an increasing number of 
workers, and in the present volume this is shown by the fact that zoo- 
