XXxiii, '22] ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS 51 



interpretation of the limits of these veins cannot stand. It has 

 always been a serious difficulty, in studying the homologies of 

 the wing-veins in different Orders, that the vein named Cul 

 in Odonata was concave, whereas, in all other insects, this 

 vein is a strongly convex vein ; and it is equally difficult to ex- 

 plain how the vein called O/2 in the Odonata should happen 

 to be convex, when this vein is, in all other insects, the most 

 concave in the wing, forming, in the Orthopteroid and Panor- 

 poid Orders, the vena dividcns separating the clavus from the 

 rest of the wing. I hope to show that, in the Odonata, the 

 true Cul, which, in most insects, originates from a compound 

 vein MS -r- Cul, is the vein which we now call M4 ; also that 

 the vein which we call Cul in Odonata is in reality the homo- 

 logue of Cu2 in other Orders; and finally that the single anal 

 vein existing in the Odonata is IA, and that it extended orig- 

 inally far along the posterior part of the wing, embracing all 

 except the extreme base of the vein which we now call Cu2 

 in Odonata. Further, the presence of only one anal vein can 

 be explained only by supposing that the original ancestors of 

 the Odonata had a very narrowed base to the wing ; and this 

 also I shall be able to demonstrate from the fossil record. 



Sufficient has now been said to make it evident that we re- 

 quire a complete re-study of Odonate wing-venation, in order 

 to bring our notation into line with that used in other Orders. 

 Tf it is found impossible to arrive at any general agreement in 

 this matter, then it would be far better to go back to the non- 

 committal names given by de Selys. rather than to continue 

 to use a notation which gives an entirely false idea of the 

 limnologies existing between the veins called radial sector, 

 media, cubitus and first analis in the Order Odonata and those 

 carrying these same names in other Orders. 



Entomological Losses by Fire 



The home of Dr. Charles P. Alexander, l T rhana, Illinois, was 

 destroyed by fire on Xe\v Year's morning. The greater part of his 

 collection of crane-flies was saved, this including- all hut a few typ'.-s. 

 Duplicate material, both of specimens and reprints, was larm 1\ 

 destroyed by fire or water. Reprints that bad been sent before by 

 entomologists :tnd can still be duplicated will be very L-rate fully received 

 Such may be addressed to him at the Natural History Building, 

 Urbana, Illinois. 



