THE YOUNG NATUEALTST. 



93 



true)," &c.. &c., "believe me, yours truly, 

 R. Harbour." I have designedly passed 

 over Mr. Tugwell's remarks about myself. 

 If he desires more proofs they are at his 

 service. I cannot be drawn off the scent. 

 The question is, are Mr. Tugwell's specimens 

 which he bred from eggs supplied by this 

 person Harbour, British ? Harbour says 

 they are not. Does Mr. Tugwell still say 

 they are. Does Mr. T. still "vouch in 

 fullest confidence" that they are the offspring 

 of a female moth taken at light — at Deal — 

 in the autumn of 1S79." If he does, why 

 does he ? What proof had he at first ? Mr. 

 Harbour's " ipse dixit ! " But he wont take 

 an " ipse dixit " he must have had proof or 

 logically he is guilty of what alone I blamed 

 him for, rushing in w-here some lower angels 

 dare not tread, or a want of caution. And 

 I hardly think there is any need for fellow 

 naturalists to quarrel about that, but will 

 say (again; with Brutus "Good reasons 

 must per force give way to better." 

 Touching size, I have seen and measured 

 dozens of these so-called British Autumnaria, 

 bred in Liverpool and elsewhere, expanding 

 from 2^ to 2i inches, principally fed on 

 birch trees, in bags. Every boy knows 

 half-starved insects are small, v.hatever the 

 species. So far as I am concerned, I shall 

 treat these specimens from Deal as unfit 

 for my Briti.sh collection. — C. S. Gregsox, 

 Rose Bank, Fletcher Grove, Edge Lane, 

 8th January, 1882. 



ON THE CLASSIFICATION 

 OF COLSOPTERA. 



By John W. Ellis, L.R.C.P., &c. 



(Continued from page 87.) 



Sub-order VI. Lamellicornes have the 

 antennae terminated by a club which is 

 composed of fiat plates joined together by 



one side so as to open like leaves of a 

 book. This group comprises the giants 

 of the beetle world, the Dynastes and 

 Goliaths of tropical climates ; the stag 

 beetle, the dung beetles {Aphodius and 

 Geotrupcs), and the chafers of temperate 

 climates. 



Sub-order VII. Stermoxi, are characterized 

 by having on the underside of the first 

 piece of the thorax (pro-sternum), a sharp 

 spine or " mucro," which fits in a cavity 

 in the meso-sternum, between the middle 

 pair of legs, by means of which the insect 

 is enabled to leap vertically upwards 

 when laid on its back — whence the popu- 

 lar name " skip-jacks," given to this group. 

 This sub-order is only poorly represented 

 in England by the Elaters of the New 

 Forest, Agriotes Cwire-worms), &c. ; but 

 in tropical countries they abound, com- 

 prising among them some of the most 

 beautiful of insects as well as some of the 

 most wonderful, as the fireflies of many 

 countries. 



Sub-order VIII. Mal.a.coderml A group 

 of beetles some of which are characterized 

 by having their elytra soft and leathery, 

 the antennae generally filiform, and the 

 tarsi generally five-jointed. Some few, 

 however, as the death-watches {anobii),&c., 

 have the bodies very hard, but the 

 antennae terminated in a club, composed 

 of three long fiat joints, and the thorax is 

 so developed as to almost hide the head 

 when the insect is viewed from above. 

 The typical representatives of this sub- 

 order are the soldier-beetles {Telephori), 

 and the glow-worm (the female of which 

 is destitute of wings and elytra.) 



Sub-order IX. Heteromera, a heterogenous 

 lot of insects, agreeing in have the anterior 

 tarsi five-jointed, whilst the middle and pos- 

 terior are foiir-jointed. The eyes are often 

 kidney-shaped — sometimes completely 

 divided. These insects are very variable 

 in appearance and habits. The church- 



