128 



On the Entomology of the 



[July 



is the case in tropical regions), does it not almost naturally follow that 

 they are intended solely for those regions, and for the increase of work 

 they are there destined to perform ? To return, however, to the subject 

 of uniformity of entomological character throughout the Peninsula and 

 the East, I think it probable that it is in a great measure to be accounted 

 for by the general uniformity of its temperature, vegetation, and soil ; 

 there may, indeed, be other causes, which particularly influence it, but 

 these may be esteemed the most essential. When we look to the range 

 which genera here enjoy, it is very considerable : in part of the Hima- 

 layiis, at the extreme southern points of India, in the West, and even in its 

 Eastern Isles, there is one pervading character, evincing every where the 

 prevalence of tropical genera. To speak more specifically, in Nepal and 

 the southernmost extremity of the Mysore, and in Ceylon, at Bombay, 

 and at Madras, at Calcutta and Singapore, in Japan and Java, with the 

 rest of the Polynesian Isles, the majority of the same types abound ; and 

 what is of more consequence, a great majority of the same species also 

 occur in most of the above-mentioned regions. Having noticed the in- 

 termingling of genera belonging to Europe and Asia, we may probably 

 find a slight accordance elsewhere. Now, if we turn our eyes to Africa, 

 we shall there find a considerable similarity in the entomology of this 

 quarter of the globe with that of Asia ; and this resemblance between the 

 two countries will be readily seen by the short annexed list of some of 

 the more particular genera, which are common to both of them. Among 

 the Carabidse occur Anthia, Orthogonius, Trigonodact^la, and Siagona. 

 Among the Lamellicornes, Epirinus and Popillia, the conical Buprestidae 

 and the extraordinary Paussidse, which last are chiefly found only in 

 these regions ; and to these may be added, as well as many more, 

 the genera Melyris, Megalopus, Sagra, and. Adorium ; Dorylus, among 

 the Hymenoptera, and Diopsis among the Diptera. Passing from ge- 

 nera to species, we shall find that precisely the same occur in both con- 

 tinents ; among the most conspicuous, I shall mention but a few, name- 

 ly, Copris Midas, Sabaeus, and Pithecius, Cetonia cornuta, and 

 Lytta gigas. Even supposing that no identical species occurred, which 

 were common to Asia and Africa, yet we could not help observing the 

 very remarkable similarity in the representatives of each ; one example 

 of which is, Ateuchus sanctus, which very closely resembles the celebrat- 

 ed Sacred Beetle of the Egyptians, the object of their worship, by some 

 regarded as an emblem of fertility, but I think more probably that of 

 eternity. Before concluding my remarks on the similarity of Insects found 

 in Asia and Africa, I cannot help expressing a wish that some individual 

 may be induced to develope the character of the entomology of these gi- 



