INTRODUCTORY. 169 



in their economy ? Among other families of Latreille 

 which, in order to answer this question, I examined with 

 care, was that of the Spharidiota. Of these Latreille's first 

 sub-family^ the Histeridee, differed so completely from the 

 others in every'essential character, thatthey could not fail to 

 be compared with the Lucani — a comparison which proved 

 beyond a doubt that these singular animals form the pas- 

 sage between Latreille's very dissimilar families of Luca- 

 nid(R and Byrrhidcz. ,An order and symmetry became 

 thus visible, which gave the surest testimony that they 

 existed in nature, and there was now some reason to sus- 

 pect that the same regularity extended itself throughout 

 Entomology, if not throughout all nature. 



But it may be well to observe here, that it is no ob- 

 jection to an arrangement being natural, that particular 

 beings should appear by its means to be insulated or 

 widely separated from others. It is sufficient that evi- 

 dent affinities should never be overlooked, much less in- 

 terrupted. The truth of this position will be manifest on 

 considering how many races of animals, by means of the 

 ancient revolutions which may have ravaged this planet, or 

 other causes, have become totally extinct or at least re- 

 moved from our view, and moreover how comparatively 

 ignorant we are still of the natural productions not only of 

 exotic regions but even it may be said of Europe itself. 

 On the other hand, every organized being seems to have 

 had certain limits of locality prescribed to it by nature ; 

 so that until we can imagine ourselves acquainted with 

 every possible production of this globe, and the experi- 

 ence of ages shall then have failed in the endeavour to 

 connect them, naturalists can never be entitled to consider 

 the chain of creation as broken. 



