66 ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY 
ANNUAL ADDRESS OF THE PRESIDENT/ 
THE LINN^EAN GENERA. OF DIPTERA. 
BY D. W. COQUILLETT. 
To the systematic entomologist the writings of Linne possess 
an interest not shared by those of any other author. Coming 
at a time when pure science was being freed from fiction, he 
did yeoman service in the direction of placing the science of 
Natural History upon a firm foundation. This is particularly 
true in regard to the classification of natural history objects, 
and it is interesting to trace the evolution of this classification 
as given in the various authorized editions of his immortal 
Sy sterna Naturce and of his Fauna Suecica. Of the thirteen 
editions of the former work only five were issued by the con- 
sent and under the supervision of Linne himself; these are 
the first, second, sixth, tenth and twelfth editions. The other 
eight are reprints and usually abridged, the exception being 
the thirteenth edition, which contains considerable additional 
matter contributed by Gmelin, who edited it. 
In the editions by Linne the various objects are divided 
into classes, orders, genera and species. The separation of 
the orders into families was at that time unknown. 
The first edition of the Systema Natures, which appeared 
in the year 1735, treated the insects as class five and divided 
them into four orders; COLEOPTERA, which contained the 
Coleoptera as at present understood, together with the Orthop- 
terous genus Forficula; ANGIOPTERA, comprising the Lepi- 
doptera, Neuropteroid insects, Hymenoptera excepting the 
ants, Diptera and the Toredo; HEMIPTERA, comprising the 
Orthopterous genus Gryllus, the modern order Hemiptera, 
and the scorpions; finally the APTERA, which included all the 
wingless forms, now placed in four different orders, and some 
of the Crustacea. The Diptera are comprised in the single 
genus Musca, which is brieflydescribed, and under it are ranged, 
as species, Musca (different species not named), CEstrum 
veterinum, CEstrum lapponicum, Tabanus, Culex, Tipula, 
Toredo navalis, and the ant-lion. 
