OF MANDIBULATA. 425 



them, to be correct. M. Latreille, in consequence of a 

 late most elaborate examination of them, comes to the 

 following conclusion : " Les Chalcidites et les Chrysides, 

 tribus de ce dernier ordre (Hymenoptera) sont les seuls in- 

 sectes dont le thorax, par V ensemble de ses rapports puisse 

 etre compare a celui des Rhipipthes. Cest encore vers les hy- 

 menopterespupivores que nous ramenentd'autres caracthes 

 de ces derniers insectes, leur maniere de vivre et P habitude 

 de sautiller." A naturalist, therefore, judging, as I now 

 do, of the situation of an insect which he has never had 

 an opportunity of examining, cannot be far wrong when he 

 in this manner unites the opinions of three persons so di- 

 stinguished in the science as MM. Jurine, Latreille and 

 Kirby. 



M. Latreille, however, reviving another of the neglected 

 observations of Degeer, finds two epaulettes, as he calls 

 them, attached to the anterior and dorsal extremities of 

 the second segment of the thorax in Lepidoptera ; and on 

 account of this solitary resemblance deems the Strepsi- 

 ptera to be situated between the Ilymenoptera and Lepi- 

 doptera. There is certainly every reason to think him 

 right in imagining the elytra of Xenos to answer to these 

 epaulettes in Lepidoptera, and to the tegulos in Hymen- 

 opt era ; but as Isleuroptera, Diptera, fyc. appear also to 

 have similar thoracic processes, although under different 

 forms, we may perhaps be enabled to set its proper value 

 on this as a single character sufficient to establish an affi- 

 nity. No other character, I may venture to say, will ever 

 bind a Strepsipterous insect to the Lepidoptera. 



I have little doubt, moreover, of the elytra of Coleoptera 

 being still the same epaulettes or tegulas under a different 

 form ; and this belief is grounded on the fact that the 



