55 



catory insects ; they are used for medicinal purposes 

 in parts of Europe instead of the Cantharides. My 

 friend Dr. Leach, in the 11th volume of the Linnean 

 Transactions, published a Monograph of our British 

 species. It has been stated that Meloe was con- 

 fined to Europe and its islands ; that opinion is 

 erroneous, as I have received some from North as 

 well as South America, The larvae of these insects 

 are supposed to be parisitical on the Hymenoptera, 

 and Monsieur Serville is reported to have corrobo- 

 rated the statements of Degeer from actual obser- 

 vation. Monseiur Latreille, Mr. Kirby, and other 

 Entomologists, doubt the parasitical nature of the 

 larvae of these Meloes. Mr. Newport has lately 

 directed his attention to the subject, and we may 

 hope therefore for a solution of a question which 

 still remains undecided, " adhuc sub judice lis est." 



Linnean Species. 



Sp. 1. Porscarabaus. — According to Dr. Leach 

 this is the type of the genus Proscarabaeus, the 

 specific name therefore must be changed. He has 

 given it that of Vulgaris. 



Sp. 8. Chrysomeloides. — This insect is recorded 

 by Schonherr among the species Dubiae of the genus 

 Lytta ; in Gmelin's edition it ranks under that of 

 Mylabris. I undoubtedly prefer the authority of 

 Schonherr, although in the tables I give it as a 

 Lytta, with a query ? 



Sp. 13. Marci. — This insect appears to be only 

 a variety of Hylecaetus dermestoides of Fabricius. 



