198 PROCEEDINGS ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY 



His pioneer work in getting our forms on a definite basis, in 

 interpreting the many poor descriptions, and in presenting a 

 workable synopsis of the family will ever be of the most last- 

 ing benefit to American Dipterology. 



He was essentially a " lumper," very loath to divide a series 

 of specimens unless the evidence was very strong. Adhering 

 to the older ideas of specific values, he failed to recognize the 

 slight differences between species in certain groups, and his 

 summary treatment of the work of others soon brought him 

 much criticism, which he bore with stoicism. Many times 

 he was undoubtedly right, but he did not care to enter into 

 discussion, preferring simply to present his results. 



In one of his papers he devised a system of classification of 

 the Diptera in which he employed the idea of the superfamily, 

 and so some of his names will be largely adopted in the future. 

 He was not strong, however, in the broader classification of 

 genera and families, and presented few new ideas. 



As the scope of the Division of Entomology broadened Mr. 

 Coquillett was requested to identify exotic Diptera, and he 

 was able to enter into this new field with confidence and suc- 

 cess, describing a hundred or more exotic flies. Altogether 

 Mr. Coquillett described about 1,000 species of flies as new to 

 science. 



In his later years he became interested in nomenclatorial 

 questions, and his last important paper, on the genotypes of 

 American Diptera, fittingly rounds out his dipterological 

 work. 



When Mr. Coquillett became Custodian of Diptera the na- 

 tional collection was very small, unarranged, and the only 

 types were Williston's in the Syrphidae; he leaves it well ar- 

 ranged in large drawers, with hundreds of types scattered 

 through almost all families. From 1895 to 1902 he donated 

 to the National Museum his private collection, containing the 

 types of his early work on Bombyliida> and Asilidas. 



In the fall of 1910 and spring of 1911 it was seen that he 

 was not well; gradually he became worse, and the end came 

 at Atlantic City on the 8th of July. His remains were in- 

 terred by the side of his parents at Marengo, Illinois. 



In 1896 he married Miss Anna Chew Dorsey, of Washing- 

 ton, who survives him. He was an active member of the As- 

 sociation of Economic Entomologists, of the Washington Acad- 

 emy of Sciences, and a Fellow of the Entomological Society 

 of America. He was President of our Society during 1903 

 and 1904. His natural diffidence prevented him from public 

 speaking, so that he rarely attended any meetings, although 



