186 
TWO PRINCIPAL WORKS OF EOBINEAU-DESVOIDY 
Panzer , of Fallen , of Wiedemann, and his own, described about three hun¬ 
dred species from Germany that are not included in the ‘ Systema Antlia- 
torum ’ of Fabricius, it is impossible not to believe that several of Mr. 
Rob.-Desvoidy’s species will turn out to be synonyms. 
“4th. Because Mr. Rob.-Desvoidy has not, by any means, visited and 
studied all the collections in Paris, a task which it is very important that 
he should continue to pursue (for he has already begun it), in order that 
his work, founded on the broad basis of complete and positive observations 
made from life upon our French species, may be extended by means of a 
well-grounded analogy (‘par une analogie bien conduite’) to all the species 
collected in different parts of the world, and may later serve for philosophic 
conclusions on the geographical distribution, and for a final determination 
of the species (‘ a la determination definitive des especes ’). We are even 
able to give the assurance that Mr. Rob.-Desvoidy, who must necessarily 
have had in mind a similar work, is actively occupied with it, and that at 
present the number of species of flies, including those observed in the 
Parisian collections, reaches beyond three thousand. 
“■Your Commissioners are also of the opinion that, whatever final form 
(‘ redaction *) he gives to his work, Mr. Rob.-Desvoidy will do well to adapt 
his style to the subject,, and to have, in a publication of this kind, no other 
ambition than that of clearness and simplicity of description, and to restrain 
himself to a strict analysis of facts, instead of offering generalizations which, 
in some cases, have appeared to them a little pretentious; an important 
defect, evidently to be attributed, however, to the youth of the author, and 
therefore excusable. 
“ These slight criticisms notwithstanding, which may rather be considered 
as hints towards future improvement, we estimate the work of Mr. Rob.- 
Desvoidy to be of a very great intrinsic value (‘ d’une tres grande valeur 
intrinseque ’), because it contains observations and distinctive characters of 
four or five times more species of flies (mouches) than were known to 
the most recent authors; it also bears witness to a mental quality and ten¬ 
dency, a perseverance and a patience of observation unfortunately very rare 
nowadays in zoology, where it seems to be much easier to indulge in gen¬ 
eral considerations, before even knowing a small number of specialties. 
The happy combination which Mr. Rob.-Desvoidy has succeeded in bring¬ 
ing about between his botanical and entomological knowledge — we mean 
to say between plants and insects — has given to his work a character of 
novelty which he intends to apply to other departments of entomology 
susceptible of it. 
“Your Commissioners, in consequence, recommend you to accept the 
work of Mr. Rob.-Desvoidy for publication in the serial of the ‘Savants 
etrangers,’ a distinction that, in their opinion, it fully deserves. They 
