Vol. xxvi] ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS 345 



to the "Locustidae" and Gryllidae. The fact that the "Acridii- 

 dae" Gryllidae and "Locustidae" are all saltatorial should have 

 no great weight, for on this basis, we would have to group to- 

 gether the flea-beetles, Psyllidae, and any other forms which 

 happened to have developed the power of leaping. The salta- 

 torial habit is a purely physiological one, and should not have 

 the weight of a fundamental structural resemblance, as will 

 be elsewhere discussed. 



There is apparent in many Phasmids, particularly the 

 tropical forms from India, etc., a marked tendency toward the 

 development of (or the retention of) an ovipositor, and forms 

 such as Phasmodes and Zaprochilus seem to indicate a rather 

 close relationship between the Gryllid-"Locustid" group (which 

 is an ovipositor-bearing one) and the Phasmidae. On the 

 other hand, forms such as Timema (specimens of which were 

 kindly loaned me by Mr. Caudell) seem to point to a relation- 

 ship between the Phasmidae and the Plecoptera-Dermapteron 

 group, and hence with the Grylloblattidae. The relationship 

 between the Phasmidae and Grylloblattidae, however, is more 

 direct than through the mediation of the Plecoptera-Dermap- 

 teron group, and, in all probability, the Phasmidae and Gryl- 

 loblattidae arose from very similar ancestors. 



On the other hand, the Phasmidae and Mantidae are very 

 closely related, and I must confess that the complicated inter- 

 relations of these lower groups is a very puzzling feature. 

 Thus some Mantid-like forms such as Mantoida are very Neu- 

 ropteron-like, and even resemble the aberrant Panorpid 

 Merope. This, however, may be explained by the fact that 

 the Neuroptera, Plecoptera (Dermaptera, etc.), Mantidae, 

 Phasmidae, etc., all sprang from very similar (closely related) 

 ancestors ; and it is therefore to be expected that mutual re- 

 semblances would be retained by some members of each group 



The Psocidae are regarded by many recent investigators, as 

 very near to the Isoptera and Plecoptera (with the Embiidae) 

 and therefore to the Grylloblattidae. I do not entirely agree 

 with this view, however. The Neuroptera have departed but 

 little from the ancestral group whence sprung the Trichoptera 

 and Lepidoptera, the Mecoptera, Diptera and Siphonaptera, 



