I._ON THE CETONIIDiE OF SOUTH AFRICA. 



In 1819 I distinguislied a family of Petalocerous insects, under the name of Cetoniidce, that 

 had been originally marked out by Scopoli, as consisting of " Scarabai Anthophili." 1 

 shewed their affinity and analogies to the other Petalocerous families, and characterized the 

 groupe by that membranaceous texture of the labrum and mandibles, which proves that these 

 insects in their perfect state are intended to live on vegetable juices ; very few exceptions to this 

 general construction being known to exist in the family. I also described two or three new 

 groupes belonging to the Cetoniidce, but since that time many others have been named and 

 characterized, particularly by MM. Lepelletier and Audinet de Serville, in the 10th volume 

 of the Entomological part of the Encydopedie, which was published in 1825. Mr. Kirby 

 also, in a paper read before the Linnean Society, in 1824 ; and in a number of the Zoo- 

 logical Journal, published in 1827, has given to the world some valuable remarks on certain 

 groupes of the family. But the work, which above all others, claims our present attention, is 

 the " MonograpMe des Cetoines," commenced by MM. Gory and Pereheron, in 1833, and 

 now, I believe, concluded. These gentlemen had the admirable intention of giving us in this 

 work a complete description, with figures, of all the species of Cetoniidce — that is, of the family 

 as I circumscribed it in the Horce Entomologicce. The grand defect of their monograph is 

 carelessness in the descriptions, in dates, and in names. Considerable reading and research 

 was necessary for their undertaking ; but these authors appear to me to have scarcely ever 

 consulted any other entomological work than Count Dej can's Catalogue. Although con- 

 stantly referring to me, they do not seem to be acquainted with any thing I have written ; 

 nay, not even with that erroneous and somewhat piratical extract from my works, which in 

 1834 was printed in Paris, under the title of Annulosa Javanica. As for Mr. Kirby, they 

 are entirely ignorant of his labours ; and although they often in like manner make mention 

 of his name, it is clear that they never read any of his instructive papers on the Cetoniidce. 

 Another great defect of this French monograph consists in the figures, which are only on 

 a level with those of Olivier, and unaccountably bad, when we call to mind the beautiful 

 entomological plates now in the course of publication in France by M. Guerin, and in our 

 own country by Mr. Curtis. In short, the most praiseworthy circumstance connected with 

 the Monographie des Cctoines is the intention of its authors. This it is which makes the 

 book, with all its faults, a most useful work. It is truly the first entomological publication 

 which has a right to be called a monograph; as it is not either a local catalogue, or the 

 catalogue of one or two collections of a country, but professes to contain descriptions of all 



