PREFACE. IX 



nated Ateuchus by Illiger, some of the species being 

 esteemed sacred by the antients. The celebrated 

 Latreille unfortunately applies the same term Scara- 

 bseus to those insects allied to Dynastes Hercules, 

 M. L. ; and here I cannot help stating, I consider it 

 rather remarkable that these giants of the New 

 World should receive from the Prince of Entomo- 

 logists an appellation derived from the Old World, 

 when the typical Lamellicorns of the Western he- 

 misphere differ materially in form and appearance 

 from any species yet discovered in the Eastern. 



Merely mentioning this, which may be regarded as 

 a slight inadvertency, I pass onwards to the exami- 

 nation of other generic names in use among authors. 

 Fabricius, it appears, has applied the term Geotrupes 

 to what Latreille has denominated Scarabseus. Now 

 as both authors, according to my views, are in error, 

 particularly the former, the derivation of the word 

 Geotrupes, or Earth-borer, being given to a group 

 of Tree-borers, I suggest the adoption of a new one, 

 which will better express the habits of the Latreil- 

 lean Scarabseus, namely Xylotrupes, or Wood-borer, 

 from EvXov lignum, andr/oi;7ra(0perforo — this simple 

 alteration will not be thought, I trust, inapplicable. 

 Among the remaining genera few will be changed, 

 and nowhere will any alteration be attempted where 



