16 HISTORY OF THE CLASSIFICATION 



phyllophagous insects; and many other discrepancies were 



avoided a . 



In the interval between the publication of the Ento* 

 rnologia Carniolka and De Geer's sixth volume, and pro- 

 bably without the knowledge of either work, Geoffroy 

 divided the original Linnaean genus Scarabaus, by the se>- 

 paration from it of the exscutellated insects under the 

 name of Copris, and of those composing Scopoli's genus 

 Lucanus under the name of Platycerus. The institution 

 of the genus Copris was in some degree an improvement, 

 though founded on such bad characters, that copropha- 

 gous insects, such as those forming Latreille's family of 

 Geotrupini, were put in the same genus with Cetonia, from 

 which they were obviously distinct, once that the neces- 

 sity was seen of carrying the investigation further among 

 the Lamelliconies than was allowed by that first principle 

 of affinity, the form of the antennae. 



Fabricius, sensible of the heterogeneous composition of 

 Geoffroy's genus Scarabceus, broke off b from it the genera 

 Trox, Melolontha , Cetonia, and Trichius c . The three 

 first are natural groups, that show how correct was the 

 eye of this great man in seizing generic distinctions. I say 

 " the eye," because it is worthy of remark, that the cha- 

 racters given to these several divisions in his Genera Insecto- 

 rum prove that he had consulted his newly invented me- 

 thod of investigation but little in their foimation. It ou<mt 



a De Geer was also aware of the true place of Hister, and its intimate 

 connexion with Lucanus. — De Geer, Gen. Ins. Retz. p. 18. 



b Syslema Ent'tmolugiee, I. xi. 



c "The organs of mandncation in this genus resemble those of Cetonia so 

 much, and indeed the affinity throughout between these genera is so great, 

 that one is surprised how Fabricius should have separated them at such 

 an early period of bis career."— 0Z«>. vol. i, no. 6. p. 1. 



