1853.] 439 
Mr. Cassin presented a paper entitled “‘ Synopsis of the Falconidee 
which inhabit America north of Mexico, and descriptions of new species.” 
Referred to Dr. Wilson, Mr. Ord and Col. McCall. 
A note was read from Mrs. C. M. Gambel, accompanying the Journal 
of her late husband, Dr. Wm. Gambel, of an overland expedition to 
California in 1849, and giving permission to the Academy to examine 
and make selections from the manuscript. Referred to the Curators. 
December 27th. 
Vice-President BRIDGES in the Chair. 
The Committee on Dr. Le Conte’s ‘ Descriptions of new Coleoptera 
from Texas, chiefly collected by the U. 8. Boundary Commission,” re- 
ported in favor of publication in the Proceedings. 
Descriptions of some new Coleoptera from Texas, chiefly collected by the Mexican 
Boundary Commission. 
Most of the new species described in the following pages, were collected 
by Mr. Arthur Schott, of the Mexican Boundary Commission under Major 
Emory ; they were procured in the vicinity of Eagle Pass, on the lower portion of 
the Rio Grande. With them were several other species, belonging to genera of less 
interest, and which are here omitted, because numerous species from other parts 
of the country yet remain to be described. Those herein contained belong to 
groups which are particularly interesting, or which have been made the subject 
of special essays. In the genus Ophryastes, I have added descriptions of several 
contained in my collection from Missouri and California, and added new descrip- 
tions of the two species already described by Say and Schonherr, so that the 
student who may have occasion to refer to the genus, may find in a small space, 
the distinctive characters of all the species yet known within our territory. 
To indicate the importance of accurate collections in distant parts of the 
country, I may add that, while the collection contained about 110 species of 
Coleoptera, 40 were new to our fauna. A much greater portion would have 
been added, had not the very active researches of Lieut. H. Haldeman already 
discovered a large number of those not included in the forty above mentioned. 
Besides the species below described, I have added in the Revision of the Ela- 
teride of the United States, just published in the 10th volume of the Transac- 
tions of the American Philosophical Society, descriptions of two very large spe- 
cies of Agryppus, a genus not before fully enrolled in our fauna. 
CicinpDELA Linn. 
Among the species belonging to our fauna must be placed C. curvata 
Chevr., and C. decostig ma Chevr. (Col. Mex. fasc. 2d,) Mexican species 
which have been found in Texas. The former was collected by the Commission, 
the latter by Lieut. Haldeman. 
C. vulturina, supra sericeo-nigra, capite thoraceque virescentibus, labro 
albo, medio producto, 3-dentato, thorace paulo convexo, postice angustiore, late- 
ribus late rotundatis breviter albo-pilosis, antice posticeque profundissime i1m- 
presso, tenuiter canaliculato, elytris thorace sesqui latioribus minus convexis, 
apice late rotundatis non serratis, margine tenul cyanescente, versus basin vage 
punctatis; subtus purpureo-cyanea; fronte plana, utrinque subtiliter rugosa, 
glabra. Long. *63-"74. 
Eagle Pass. The first joint of the labial palpi of the male is testaceous. This 
species seems to be most commonly without white marks on the elytra; the 
color in one specimen is greenish black, in the others it is pure black, at least 
on the elytra. One specimen has a faint rudiment of an apical lunule; in an- 
