I. — ON THE CETONIIDiE OF SOUTH AFRICA. 
In 1819 I distinguished a family of Petalocerous insects, under the name of Cetoniidce, that 
had been originally marked out by Scopoli, as consisting of “ Scarabcd Anthophili.” I 
shewed their affinity and analogies to the other Petalocerous families, and characterized the 
groupe by that membranaceous texture of the labrum and mandibles, which proves that these 
insects in their perfect state are intended to live on vegetable juices ; very few exceptions to this 
general construction being known to exist in the family. I also described two or three new 
groupes belonging to the Cetoniidce, but since that time many others have been named and 
characterized, particularly by MM. Lepelletier and Audinet de Serville, in the 10th volume 
of the Entomological part of the Encyclopedic, which was published in 1825. Mr. Kirby 
also, in a paper read before the Linnean Society, in 1824 ; and in a number of the Zoo- 
logical Journal, published in 1827, has given to the world some valuable remarks on certain 
groupes of the family. But the work, which above all others, claims our present attention, is 
the “ Monographic des Cetoines,” commenced by MM. Gory and Percheron, in 1833, and 
now, I believe, concluded. These gentlemen had the admirable intention of giving us in this 
work a complete description, with figures, of all the species of Cetoniidce — that is, of the family 
as I circumscribed it in the Horce Entomologies. The grand defect of their monograph is 
carelessness in the descriptions, in dates, and in names. Considerable reading and research 
was necessary for their undertaking ; but these authors appear to me to have scarcely ever 
consulted any other entomological work than Count Dejean’s Catalogue. Although con- 
stantly referring to me, they do not seem to be acquainted with any thing I have written ; 
nay, not even with that erroneous and somewhat piratical extract from my works, which in 
1834 was printed in Paris, under the title of Annulosa Javanica. As for Mr. Kirby, they 
are entirely ignorant of his labours ; and although they often in like manner make mention 
of his name, it is clear that they never read any of his instructive papers on the Cetoniidce. 
Another great defect of this French monograph consists in the figures, which are only on 
a level with those of Olivier, and unaccountably bad, when we call to mind the beautiful 
entomological plates now in the course of publication in France by M. Guerin, and in our 
own country by Mr. Curtis. In short, the most praiseworthy circumstance connected with 
the Monographic des Cetoines is the intention of its authors. This it is which makes the 
book, with all its faults, a most useful work. It is truly the first entomological publication 
which has a right to be called a monograph; as it is not either a local catalogue, or the 
catalogue of one or two collections of a country, but professes to contain descriptions of all 
