M. Lati’eille mi the Geographical Distribution of Insects. 5S 
The insects of New Zealand, of New Caledonia, and proba- 
bly those of the circumjacent isles, appear to me to have many 
affinities with the species of New Holland. I presume it is the 
same with some other archipelagos of the great southern ocean. 
These islands, chiefly composed of aggregations of coral 
rocks, form a chain which unites them to those of the west, and 
from which they have been able to receive their productions. 
But, on the American side, there are no groups of coral islands 
to afford such a mode of communication. Hence, it happens, 
that many of these islands are American by their geographical 
position, but Asiatic in regard to the animal and vegetable pro- 
ductions of their soil. 
The New Continent presents a like progressive march in the 
changes of species, relative to considerable differences of latitude 
and longitude. M. Bose has collected in Carolina many spe- 
cies which are not found in Pennsylvania, and still less in the pro- 
vince of New-York. The researches of Abbot on the Lepidop- 
tera of Georgia, prove, that they find there certain species of that 
order, of which the principal seat is in the Antilles. The banks 
of the river Missouri, for about twenty degrees to the west of 
Philadelphia, serve for the habitation of many peculiar insects, 
of which I owe the communication to Mr Macleay . I have al- 
so seen a collection formed at Louisiana, and have there observ- 
ed other mutations. The entomology of the Antilles presents 
a contrast to that of the United States. The island of Trinidad, 
in the 10th degree of north latitude, produces equatorial species, 
such as the butterflies of the divisions called Menelaus^ Teucery 
&c., which are not to be found in St Domingo. The first named 
island is also characterised by the Dasypus or Armadillo^ a qua- 
druped unknown in the latter. The Brazils possess insects 
found equally in Cayenne ; but they also produce a cloud of 
others which are peculiarly their own. 
If we institute a comparison between the parallels of the Old 
and New World, with respect to the temperature suited to 
the various species of insects, we shall find that these parallels 
do not in that respect correspond. The southern insects of the 
western hemisphere do not extend so far to the north as in ours. 
Here, as we had formerly occasion to observe, they begin to ap- 
pear between the 48th and 49th degrees of north latitude ; while 
