THE ANNALS 



AND 



MAGAZINE OF NATURAL HISTORY, 



No. 119. OCTOBER 1846. 



XXIV. — Revision of the British Libellulidse. By Baron Edm. 

 de Selys Longchamps (of Liege), Member of various Aca- 

 demies. 



Being engaged in the preparation of a revision of the Libellulidse 

 of Europe, intended to serve as a supplement to the monograph 

 which I published in 1840, 1 have examined with the greatest care 

 the British Libellulse, taking advantage of the journey which I 

 made in the summer of 1845 in England, Scotland and Ireland. 

 The notice which I now offer is the result of those investigations : 

 it contains principally : — 



1. The enumeration of the species which I saw in the various 

 collections. 



2. Their synonymy in accordance both with the general revi- 

 sion which I shall soon publish, and with the names which they 

 bear in the principal British works. 



3. Their respective geographical distribution in England, Scot- 

 land and Ireland, with the citation of the authors or the col- 

 lectors on whose evidence I have admitted them into the British 

 fauna. 



I shall in general pass in silence the times of appearance and 

 the detailed enumeration of the localities where each species was 

 taken : they will be found in the English works cited in the 

 synonymy. 



It is not to be wondered at that, the Neuroptera being generally 

 neglected by entomologists, the synonyms given by authors should 

 not always be correct. I have not deemed it indispensable to give 

 a very detailed correction of them : the important object was to 

 record what I have myself seen, in these collections, and to deter- 

 mine exactly the species in accordance with my works. Still 

 less do I think it necessary to notice the errors of determination 

 which exist in several collections, unless these determinations 

 have been cited in published works. I beg those gentlemen who 

 granted me admission to their museums with so much kindness, 

 to receive the expression of my gratitude. It is solely to them 



Ann. $ Mag. N. Hist. Vol. xviii. R 



