122 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [Mar., '15 



6th. Sanderson separates these groups without rearrange- 

 ment. 



7th. Smith follows the old plan of keeping them as one 

 order adjacent to the Pseudoneuroptera with simple metamor- 

 phosis. 



8th. Folsom and Sanderson place the Orthoptera lowest of 

 winged insects in accordance with the theory of the origin of 

 wings in a terrestrial rather than in an aquatic insect. 



9th. Comstock and Kellogg begin the winged insects with 

 Ephemerida on the basis that the multiplicity of wing veins 

 indicates primitive structure, and 



loth. All the recent authors cited differ among themselves in 

 the arrangement of the four higher orders. This can perhaps be 

 best shown in another way. Below these orders are indicated 

 by their initials: 



Comstock L D C H Folsom L C D H 



Smith C L H D Sanderson C L D H 



Kellogg C D L H Woodworth C D H L 



If the list were extended one would find practically all pos- 

 sible permutations. These authors show some agreement, 

 thus : 



ist. Four place Coleoptera lowest, two the Lepidoptera. 



2nd. Four place Hymenoptera highest, one each Diptera 

 and Lepidoptera. 



3rd. The Diptera are placed by four authorities adjacent 

 to the Hymenoptera and to the Coleoptera. 



4th. The Lepidoptera are placed by three authorities ad- 

 jacent to each of the other orders. 



5th. In no case are the Hymenoptera and Coleoptera ad- 

 jacent. 



There does not seem to be any good reason for this re- 

 markable diversity of views nor any prospect that uniformity 

 can come except from the adoption of some principle like 

 that of geological sequence, that will make it no longer a mat- 

 ter of mere personal judgment, but one to be decided by the 

 determination of fact. 



