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Show 1866.] MR. H. W. BATES ON FORMOSAN COLEOPTEBA. 339 former bad no means of escape, and in a short time it was literally cut to pieces by the repeated attacks of the animal. I do not believe be fed upon any portion of the Ophiurus, but merely destroyed it because it came in its way. Though possessing a voracious appetite, feeding greedily on Actinia and similar forms, it can live very well upon animalcula in the water, as I have kept it without food for days together. When swimming about, the fins or gills, five rows of which are placed under the belly of the creature, present a most beautiful appearance, resembling the finest feathers. The Gonodactylus chiragra's death was caused by the poisonous gases evolved from a Holothurium which died one night in the aquarium. 5. O n a Collection of Coleoptera from Formosa, sent home by R. Swinhoe, Esq., H.B.M. Consul, Formosa. By H. W . BATES, F.Z.S. Mr. Swinhoe having kindly forwarded to me a collection of Coleopterous Insects made by himself in different parts of the island of Formosa, with a request that I would report upon its contents to the Zoological Society, I now proceed to give the results of m y examination. The collection, although consisting of a very large number of specimens, contains only 285 species; the materials therefore cannot afford us so ample an illustration of the Coleopterous Fauna of the island as could be wished, seeing that a region so varied in its physical conditions and lying partly within the tropics must nourish many thousand species of this order of insects. The following is an enumeration of the representatives of the different families ;- Cicindelidar. . . Carabidar . . . Brachelytra. . . Dermestidar.. . Bostrichidar. . . 8 18 6 1 1 2 1 Histeridar . .. Lamellicornes .. Serricornes Mai acodermes . Cleridar Heteromera.. . . 1 47 7 16 7 4 32 Rhynchophora. . Anthribidar. . . . Longicornes. . . . Phytophaga . . Coccinellidar . . 27 3 34 62 1 7 In a first collection made by a person not especially occupied with entomology there must necessarily be a considerable proportion of common and widely distributed species, as these, in tropical countries, are such as are found in the neighbourhood of dwellings and plantations, and therefore are the first to attract attention. This is so in the present case, about one-half of the species sent being already known as inhabiting the neighbouring continent or the islands of the Malay archipelago. The other half are probably new ; but many of them belonging to difficult and hitherto unworked groups, cannot be at present satisfactorily decided upon. I do not find in the collection, what I had hoped for, any traces of great peculiarity in the |