NATURAL HISTORY OR 
76 
class. In this country alone, they amount, by the 
latest and most accurate census , to upwards of 3600, 
thus forming nearly a third part of our entire insect 
population. This is considerably more than double 
the number of phaenogamous or flowering plants in- 
digenous to Britain, and greatly exceeds the whole 
amount of our native vertebrate animals. When com- 
pared with the two other orders that are next to it in 
extent in this country, it will be found that the Cole- 
optera are nearly one half more numerous than the 
Lepidoptera, and that they stand much in the same 
relation to the Diptera or two-winged flies. Of the 
latter, indeed, all the species ascertained to inhabit 
Europe scarcely exceed the amount of British Cole- 
optera ; for the most accurate enumeration of the 
European Diptera which we possess makes them 
about 3760.* The native Coleoptera of Sweden, 
according to the enumeration of them given by 
Gyllenhal, in his admirable Insecta Suecica , are 
about 4700 in number. In advancing southwards, 
these insects increase in a ratio similar to what is 
observed in other departments of nature ; and in 
countries under the tropics, so redundant in every 
kind of animal life, they may be said absolutely to 
swarm. We are without sufficient data, however, 
from which to form an accurate estimate of their 
total amount. Some years since, the collection of 
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aacfcen, 1818-1830. 
