10 Mr. J. O. West wood ow tke Chalcididw, 



In the SjTStema Entomologiae of Fabricius, published in 1775, that 

 author adopts the genus Cynips as proposed by Linnaeus; and unites 

 Chalcis sispes with his Chrysides, and the small Chalcididae either with 

 the Ichneumones, or places them at the end of the genus Cynips. 



In the Mantissa Insectorum of the same author, published in 1787, 

 the genus Chalcis was first established; but in that work the smaller 

 species of the family Chalcididae were still placed either with Ichneumon 

 or Cynips. 



In 1795, Swederus established, in the Swedish Transactions, the 

 genus Pteromalus, comprising the greater portion of those " Ichneumones 

 minuti" of Linnaeus, which Geoffroy had miscalled Cynips, and 

 Fabricius had placed either with Ichneumon or Cynips. 



In 1796, in the " Precis des Caracteres generiques," Latreille en- 

 tirely adopted GeoiFroy's improper nomenclature ; and Mr. Kirby, in his 

 Monographia Apum Anglise, (1. 82. 2.) noticing the arrangement of the 

 Hymenoptera in that work, observes, " 6. Cynips, after Geoffroy : this 

 genus takes in no genuine Cynips, but includes a large proportion of 

 the Ichneumones minuti of Linnaeus, the Eulophus of Geoffroy, and 

 Chalcis of Fabricius; it would be a good genus without Chalcis, but 

 it should have another name, as Cynips ought to be continued to the 

 gall-nut insects," which in Latreille' s work were generically called 

 Diplolepis. 



Fabricius, however, in the Systema Piezatorum, 1804, not avrare of the 

 establishment of Pteromalus, by Swederus, has, (notwithstanding the pro- 

 priety of his restoring to the Gall Fhes the generic name of Cynips imposed 

 on them by Linnaeus,) introduced considerable confusion by trans- 

 posing Geoffrey's other generic name, calling all those parasitic insects 

 which that author had miscalled Cynips, by the name of Diplolepis, 

 vnth the exception of a few which he placed in his genus Cleptes. 

 This vras a decided failure, since it is clear, that Diplolepis, when 

 properly restricted to the Gall Flies as intended by Geoffroy, is only 

 synonjrmous with the Cynips of Linnaeus, and consequently ought 

 merely to be used as such. Had Fabricius either given a new name to 

 these minute Chalcididae, or placed them in his genus Chalcis, or adopted 

 that of Pteromalus proposed for them by Swederus, instead of calling 

 them Diplolepis, the confusion which has arisen would in a great mea- 

 sure have been avoided. 



