REVIEWS. 
205 
The present volume contains descriptions of no less than 213 genera. 
The total number of species enumerated is 482. Of this number, 270 are 
treated by Mr. Wollaston as novelties; in addition to which number, 
eleven had previously been described as Madeiran—making the entire 
number 281, which, out of 482, it must be admitted, is a large proportion 
to possess even the chance of being peculiar to these islands. 
On refering to the systematic catalogue of this work, one will be struck 
at the total absence from the entomological fauna of Madeira of numerous 
genera (and even of whole families), which are looked upon as all but uni¬ 
versal; thus, incredible as it may appear, not so much as a solitary 
instance of the Cicindelidse, Buprestidse or Pselaphidae has hitherto been 
brought to light, whilst the great genera of Carabus, Nebria, Silpha, 
Necrophorus, Citonia, Telephorus, Otiorhynchus, and others, are altogether 
wanting. In glancing over this catalogue, we are also struck with the 
fact that, though Madeira is essentially a land of wood and streams, yet 
the Longicorns and water-beetles should be the least shadowed forth of 
the whole. As regards the latter of these, however, the deficiency is not 
difficult to understand—the rapid nature of the rivers, which are liable to 
sudden inundations from the mountains, and to deposit their contents in 
positions distant from their banks, or to pour in ceaseless torrents over the 
perpendicular faces of the rock, being anything but favourable to insect life. 
The following particulars will be interesting to our geological readers, 
and tend to prove how dependent the noble science of geology is upon 
zoology and botany:—There is, strange though it may appear, some slight 
(though decided) collective assimilation in the Coleopterous fauna of Madeira 
with what we observe in the south-western extremity of our own country, 
and of Ireland—nearly all the species which are common to Madeira and 
the British Isles, being found in those particular regions, and this fact is 
strikingly illustrated by the following account of Mesites Maderensis, 
WoU.:— 
“ Viewed geographically, this insect is one of the most interesting of the Coleop¬ 
terous inhabitants of these islands, as being the exact representative of the M. 
Tardii, Curtis ., hitherto peculiar to Ireland and the south-wes.t of England. In their 
modes of life, indeed, the two are positively coincident, both being more particu¬ 
larly attached to evergreen trees, either in mountain or submaritime sports, whilst 
in their range of size, colour, and general contour, they present so great a simila¬ 
rity, inter se, that they might, at first sight, be almost confounded. Like its Irish 
analogue, it is purely nocturnal.” 
The following account of M. Tardii may not be unacceptable here ; it is 
appended to the above account in the shape of a note:— 
“ This insect, which has not yet occurred in any part of the Continent of Europe, 
was originally discovered in decayed hollies, at Powerscourt Waterfall, in the 
