10 



ON THE CETONIIDiE OF SOUTH AFRICA. 



real character which insulates the groupe, but this is a venial defect, into which every 

 naturalist is, at times, liable to fall. Mr. Vigors, for instance, discovered and pointed out 

 the natural groupe of Insessores among birds; but their true characteristic was not known 

 until I observed that these are the only birds which have " callow" young. 



Fam. CETONIID^, BUM. 



AntenncB of ten joints (very rarely nine), terminating in a triphyllous club composed of the 

 three last joints. 



Labrum compressed, generally membranaceous, often emarginate, with rounded corners, and 

 always concealed under the clypeus. 



Mandibles in general compressed, and furnished on the inside at the base with a subquadrate 

 membrane, while the base and produced outer side are corneous. 



Maxilla corneous, and rather of a prismatic form, having their inner side often membra- 

 naceous, and fringed with hairs, but sometimes corneous, and armed with teeth. 



Maxillary Palpi of four joints, the first joint being often evanescent, and the last never 

 compressed. 



Zahiiim and Mentum more or less confluent, sometimes completely so ; and the mentum is 

 anteriorly truncated or emarginated, but never trilobed. 



Head often subquadrate. Body always winged, and in general depressed. Feet in 

 general slender, with the fore tibiae for the most part dentated, more particularly 

 in the females. Tarsi pentamerous, terminating in two equal sharp undivided 

 claws, between which often intervene a plantula and pseudonychia. 



1. This family consists, to my knowledge, of more than 600 species, of which only five are 

 natives of Great Britain. The groupe has been most erroneously characterized by MM. Gory 

 and Percheron. These gentlemen distinguish the Scarahees Melitophiles," — a name, be it 

 observed, which although Latreillian, is very erroneous, — by the mandibles being rudimentary, 

 or even by these organs of the mouth being altogether absent. A description so anomalous 

 of Cetojiiidce, in a work entirely devoted to them, is not very creditable to these gentlemen 

 as entomologists ; since I need scarcely say, that the mandibles are never absent. True it is 

 that in general these organs are compressed, and often even extremely thin and membrana- 

 ceous ; but sometimes again, as in the Macroma scutellaris, G. P., and Cryptodus para- 

 doxus, M*L., &c. the mandibles and maxillse are as solid, thick, and corneous, as in any 

 Melolonthidous insect of equal size. 



2. The CetoniidcR pass off to the Glaphyrida on one side, and to the Rutelidce on 

 the other. Those species of the sub-genus Trichius, which Mr. Kirby has called Archimedii, 

 shew us that by the Ti^ichius lineatus, Fab. (Lepitrix lineatus, Lp. Sr.) an insect of the Cape, 

 we may arrive among the Glaphyrida ; and Mr. Kirby has, by the description of his genus 

 Cnemida, explained to us how we may also pass from Macroma to the family of Hutelida. 

 While on this subject, I may express my regret that an entomologist so distinguished as M. 

 Dejean, and who has merely named this and other species in his catalogue without describing 

 them, should have endeavoured to set aside the name Cnemida Curtisii, which Mr, Kirby has 

 given with a description. The right of priority in entomology is usually held sacred, yet 

 Cnemida Curtisii, K. is called C. crassipes by Dejean without any assigned reason. It is unfortu- 

 nate for Mr. Kirby that he should so often have.set the example of reckless change to foreigners. 



