Sept., '05] ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. 22Q 



SUMMARY. 



The most important works on entomological terminology are 

 doubtless those of Kirby and Spence (1826), and Bnrmeister 

 (1832), as both are more or less critical summaries of what 

 had been done from the beginning. They are more accessible 

 and better known than any of the other works, and are of 

 permanent value, because of their really scientific treatment 

 of the subject. But they are now much out of date. 



Muller (1860, 187?), although not comparable to these, comes 

 next in importance. Very many terms are listed and defined, 

 and the figures are commendable. Some of the definitions are, 

 however, extremely loose. The work is a good useful glos- 

 sary and an exceedingly valuable vocabulary. 



Passing from these, we find nothing but true glossaries or 

 brief explanatory vocabularies which are, generally speaking, 

 of very little importance, as far as the real science of entomo- 

 logical terminology is concerned. In many of them the terms 

 are more or less loosely defined, not for the purpose of fixing 

 them as a part of scientific language, but in order that the 

 laity will have a key to the text to which the glossaries are 

 appended. Of these, an exception should be made of the 

 glossary published by the Brooklyn Entomological Society 

 ( 1 88.0), which was prepared for working entomologists. It is 

 apparently the only laboratory glossary existing, and, although 

 also loose in defining terms, yet on account of the number of 

 terms listed and because of its general usableness, it is valu- 

 able. The other glossaries of this class, which are HsU-d, 

 therefore possess value, not, however, always on account of 

 their definitions. They are not only vocabularies, though in- 

 complete ones, but serve as well to record usage, a factor, 

 which at present, unfortunately, is very important in the for- 

 mation of entomological language. That usage varies greatly 

 in entomological writings is a fact that will readily be accepted. 

 That it should vary as little as possible will as readily be con- 

 ceded. A suitable term once accurately defined and accepted, 

 should hold its meaning indefinitely, or until it becomes, from 

 new discoveries or otherwise, untenable. In the literature of 

 entomology, for at least four decades back, no important con- 



