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 families. 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 Caret- 

 bidce, Erichson's Staphylinidce, Schoenherr's Curculionidce, Bohe- 

 man's Cassidce, Westwood's Paussidce, etc., as well as the latter 

 author's general work on the families, and Lacordaire's on the 

 Genera Coleopterorum, 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 in- 

 disputable 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 probability 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 library, until at length with a certain amount of 



