456 Mr. G. Lewis on new In general the European and American specimens of Meyenia fluviatilis have very short birotules, and although the shaft expands into the rotule on either side, still, from want of length, it does not present the hourglass shape of the Calumet variety, which, and the smooth skeletal spicule, constitute the chief distinguishing features of the latter. XLIII. — New Species of Histeridse, with Synonymical Notes. By George Lewis, F.L.S. The part of the ' Munich Catalogue ' containing the His-terida? was issued in 1868, and gave 1151 species; and in 1884 Herr Joh. Schmidt published a supplementary list of 334 species in the ' Berliner ent. Zeitschrift.' Synonymists have corrected our records from time to time, but not to the extent of materially reducing the total of 1485 species ; and lately I have carefully examined the types of the species in the national collection, and the results I have obtained, which relate chiefly to synonymy, are given in this paper. The family has not attracted the attention of many ento-mologists, although the monograph of De Marseul, to which too high praise cannot be given, is an excellent introduction to the study of the group, and the clear and well-defined exo-skeleton presented to the student in all the genera offers characters easily tabulated or retained in the memory. Some of the neglect at home doubtless rests on the collectors abroad, who rarely send to Europe even the most abundant species ; and yet many of the most curious species may be easily obtained by searching under loosened bark. In the United States the species have been studied as members of a " limited fauna," and it is difficult at once by the aid of the descriptive literature alone to arrange all the American species in their right order in a general catalogue, as the descriptions do not refer to the allied species existing elsewhere. But I hope before long to compile a systematic catalogue, to replace those in alphabetical order now in use. One of the results of limiting the study to local forms in America is manifested by curious irregularities in the esti-mated value of genera on the part of students and authors. Dr. Horn lowers Phelister and Plat y soma to subgenera, and gives full generic value to others, as Echi nodes and Teretriosoma. In
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