58 Descriptions of new Ceylon Coleoptera. [no. 1, new series, 
confine themselves to collecting and observing the habits of the ob- 
jects of their attention, but that they should never go to print with 
matters, on which it is impossible for the ablest among them to be 
quite competent to deal with. These arguments are unfortunately 
too true, but still I think they admit of being mitigated sufficiently 
to come to final conclusions less disheartening than the above. 
First of all, every entomologist gives preference to a certain or- 
der of insects — say Coleoptera — and in this, even in almost all 
cases, to one or two particular i'amilies. In studying for the pub- 
lication of new species under the disadvantages just mentioned, he 
will confine himself to this order or perhaps family. Now, although 
as objected above, the information existing on this particular 
branch is for the most part fragmentary, still there are certain fa- 
milies on which it has received a tangible shape, through condensa- 
tion by able hands : Burmeister's Lamellicornes, Dejean's Cara- 
hidcB, Erichson's Staphylinida, Schoenherr's CurcuUonidce, Bohe- 
man's Casstdce, Westwood's Paussidce, etc., as well as the latter 
author's general work on the families, and Lacordaire's on the 
Genera Coleopterorunif diligently consulted, go as guides a long 
way, and should, although some of them have by the rapid progress 
of the science become rather antiquated, guard against a number of 
mistakes of a systematic nature. As to whether a beetle be new 
or not, I admit that in forming an opinion on this question the en- 
tomologist situated as above, will have quite as much to be guided 
by a certain tact (not clearly definable but understood by scientific 
men) as by anything else, and I am forced to concede that under 
almost any circumstances, it is totally impossible to arrive at an m- 
disputahle certainty either the one way or the other. This, how- 
ever, by no means excludes the possibility of his forming an opi- 
nion with so much precision, as to enable him to pronounce in the 
matter with a very high degree of confidence and all prohahility in 
his favor. In attempting to come to a decision on this difficult 
point, he will receive a first superficial idea from careful reflection 
on certain accidental circumstances, such as size, scarcity, or other 
peculiarities of the insect in question. This idea, which ever way 
it may incline, will then either gain or lose strength by diligent 
reference to his libr&ry, until at length >vith a certain amount of 
