Royal Physical Society. 103 



nosus. We must suppose that Erichson had originally given his 

 specimens of C. fuliginosus the name of C. caliginosus, and as 

 such also determined them to his acquaintances, but subsequently 

 allowed it to remain for reasons unknown to me*." 



In dealing with a description emanating from Erichson, it will 

 probably be better that I quote his description of C. fuliginosus, 

 leaving the reader to form for himself his opinion of its value as 

 a species. It is in these terms : — 



" Oblongo-ovatus, niger ; antennis obsolete clavatis, rufo-piceis, 

 apice nigricantibus ; thorace basi apiceque latitudine sequali, 

 angulis posticis acuminatis ; elytris obsoletissime striatis. 



" Long. If lin. 



" Very closely allied to the foregoing (nigrita, Erichs.). The 

 antennae have the same form and the same proportions, but are 

 differently coloured ; they are brownish red, the last four or five 

 joints including the terminal blackish. The thorax is somewhat 

 shorter than in the foregoing, a little narrower than the elytra, 

 lightly rounded on the sides ; the posterior angles pointed ; the 

 posterior margin on each side between the edge and the middle 

 twice feebly sinuated. The elytra are oblong oval, very indi- 

 stinctly striated. The colour of the body is black ; the head and 

 thorax have a fine yellow-grey pubescence; the elytra are more 

 brownish black, with a grey hoar-frost rime on them. The legs 

 are ferruginous brown, the thighs blackish f." 



The impression the description rather leaves upon my mind is, 

 that Erichson's intended fuliginosus may have been the species 

 subsequently described by Kellner under the name of coracinus. 

 The yellow pubescence on the thorax for instance, and the ash- 

 grey rime on the elytra, apply well to it, but not to nigricans : on 

 the other hand, the size, 1-| lin., is too much for coracinus. 

 Again, it may be that the small examples of nigricans standing 

 under the name of caliginosus in the Berlin Museum collection, 

 were not published by Erichson from a doubt of their being 

 distinct, and that C. fuliginosus may have been described from 

 other specimens, although they are not now in the collection in 

 the Berlin Museum. 



Still, in the face of M. Kraatz's deliberate opinion, fortified as 

 it is by the specimens in the collection of the Berlin Royal 

 Museum, and also doubtless by the traditions which must re- 

 main of Erichson's own views in a place which has only so 

 recently been deprived of him, I have not ventured to carry my 



* Kraatz in loc. cit. f Erichson in loc. cit. 



