Visit to the Diggings. 



5901 



be beneficial to us, although the spirit that dictated it would be 

 very mean. 



This work is one that the Entomological Society would do honour 

 to itself in performing ; indeed, it was once proposed to be done un- 

 der its sanction, but was taken out of its hands by an offer to produce 

 a more complete Catalogue, which, however, we all now fear is not 

 likely to be soon accomplished. But, as large bodies are slow 

 to move, and there may be an unwillingness that the Society should 

 countenance a work confessedly incomplete, it may come better from 

 private hands. After all, I think it would be found that the know- 

 ledge possessed by such proficients as Dawson, Clark, Janson, 

 Waterhouse, Wollaston, Power and others, if united, would leave 

 comparatively little to be desired. 



To recapitulate : — It is required that, taking the Stettin Catalogue 

 as the basis, a Catalogue of the British Coleoptera, without syno- 

 nyms, should be prepared without delay, and published at such a 

 low price that every one interested could buy several copies, so as to 

 secure the promoters from loss. The good work of revision, so well 

 begun by several persons, could still go on ; in a year or two another 

 edition would be called for, and after a repetition of the process, as 

 in the example of the Tineina before quoted, we should have a list 

 worthy of the name of a Catalogue of British Coleoptera. 



J. W. Douglas. 



Lee, November 30, 1857. 



An Entomologisfs Visit to the Diggimjs. 

 By T. J. R. OxLEY, Esq. 



Influenced partly by the love of gain, and partly by an insatiable 

 desire of collecting insects previously unknown, I determined, imme- 

 diately after the loss of an only parent, to visit the gold diggings of 

 Australia. Taking with me three assistants, I left Gravesend on the 

 14th, and Plymouth on the 20th of May, and sailed for the El Dorado 

 of the antipodes. We had an average passage, the weather being 

 generally favourable. One serious incident occurred, which I may be 

 excused for mentioning: when near the equator we came into collision 

 with a homeward-bound ship, and ran some risk of going to the bot- 

 tom. On the hundredth day we anchored off Williamstown, and a 

 few days afterwards landed at Melbourne. 



