THE CHIEF COLEOPTEROUS FAUNAE. 



15 



and all insects which probably pass their larval state in timber ; 

 they are an Elaterid (a species of JSolus, JE. tnelliculus), which is 

 found all along the coast of South America from Rio to Demerara, 

 Monocrepidius posticus, another Elater which is otherwise confined 

 to the La- Plata district in South America, and Tamioles scalaris, 

 a Longicorn. In the other Atlantic islands there is only one such 

 introduction, a North- American Longicorn {Glytus erythrocepha- 

 lus\ which has been found on the Salvages. The supposed in- 

 troductions to the Azores from the European side of the Atlantic 

 are, according to Mr. Crotch, much more numerous. He divides 

 the 170 European species of the Azores into " two groups (70 

 possibly indigenous and 101 almost certainly introduced by colo- 

 nists) and the mode of introduction assigned by him is (I know 

 not on what grounds or with what prima facie probability) their 

 importation in earth at the roots of garden-plants. Certainly in 

 this case the operations of the chance-introduction theory (three 

 species coming with the current against 101 against it) would 

 seem to call for some apology or explanation ; but those who, like 

 myself, reject that theory as capable of doing any thing more than 

 furnishing accidental exceptions, will only see in the 101 supposed 

 introductions (probably, but not necessarily, under deduction of a 

 few cosmopolitan species) 101 natural denizens belonging to the 

 microtypal stirps, and present in their natural capacity of legiti- 

 mate descendants of the aboriginal heirs of the soil. 



The only remaining vestiges which may be supposed to have 

 formed part of this ancient Atlantis are Ascension Island, St. 

 Paul's, St. Helena, and Tristan d'Acunha. 



Of these, St. Paul's is, I believe, beyond its limits, and belongs 

 to another fauna and another stirps, its fauna, so far as I know, 

 being Brazilian ; but more information is still wanted regarding it. 



Ascension Island is a barren rock of recent formation, said to 

 be almost without any fauna but what has been introduced by 

 man within a hundred years or so ; but it has never been tho- 

 roughly examined by any competent naturalist. What we do 

 know of it has been picked up during brief flying visits by natu- 

 ralists who, like Mr. Darwin, touched at its port, and did what 

 they could in a limited time. The only animals recorded, so far 

 as I know, are one Slug (Limax ascensionis), and, if we go by 

 that, we must put it down as microtypal, and two Sea-shells (IA- 

 torina milaris and Nerita ascensionis) , found by Mr. Cumming 

 on its shores. 



