THE CHIEF COLEOPTKROUS EAUN7E. 



39 



ami, as it scorns to me, there is a similar mixture of stirps in 

 them. In such an inquiry as this, however, birds would require a 

 special examination for themselves, their power of flight, and, still 

 more, their migratory instincts, complicate their distribution so 

 seriously. To do so fairly, the main distribution would require to 

 be taken, in all doubtful cases, as the test of the stirps, leaving 

 exceptional deviations out of view, whether they can be accounted 

 for by exceptional causes or not. 



Passing southwards to Peru and Chili, the number of Europeo- 

 Asiatic genera diminishes, but the general facies still remains. 

 The Chilian species in many cases belong to European genera, 

 and the general facies is of the same character. Blaps still shows 

 itself, only it has now passed out of the form of Eleodes into that 

 of the smaller Nycterinus. The genus Garabus, which was lost in 

 Mexico, has here retained its footing ; it is found in great beauty 

 in the Chilian Andes, although very limited in number of species. 

 Carabus is a genus almost entirely confined to Europe, Asia, and 

 North America. Africa proper has it not ; India has it not ; 

 and, although it goes against my argument, I must in honesty add 

 Mexico appears not to have it. St. Helena, the Chilian Andes, 

 and Australia are the only places in the southern hemisphere 

 where it occurs. In Australia the genus has undergone some mo- 

 dification (into Pamborus), and in St. Helena (into Haphthorax), 

 but still true scions of the Carabi, and bearing all their facies. 

 The Feroniadce, too, which form a very characteristic element 

 in the European and American faunas, are fairly represented in 

 Chili, strong in Australia, and absent from Brazil, Africa, and 

 India, except in places which of themselves suggest that they are 

 emigrants from over the border. Such are the species in South 

 America from the mountainous parts of Columbia, or in India 

 from both sides of the Himalayas ; Pristonychus complanatus, a 

 European species, seems to beat all others in the possession of 

 "an undergoing stomach to endure whatever may ensue." It 

 occurs in Chili and also in the Canaries and in St. Helena. An- 

 other somewhat remarkable form is the genus Thalassobius, bee- 

 tles which live under high-water mark ; it belongs to the Tre- 

 chidse, which seem peculiarly adapted for trying strange modes of 

 life, and peculiarly open to the impression of altered circum- 

 stances in them, turning into Anophthalmi of various kinds in 

 dark cavern*, into Mpus and Thalassobius under the sea. JEpus 

 is the form they have taken under high-water mark on the coasts 



