162 The Ohio Journal of Science [Vol. XVI, No. 5, 



preservation. In all some thirty-eight forms were studied 

 and the results are embodied in the following pages. 



It will be seen that the generic descriptions have been 

 given; and this is done in view of the fact that the writer here 

 wishes to lay the foundation for future extensive study of the 

 families concerned. In some cases species have been rede- 

 scribed fully, because the original descriptions are brief, totally 

 inadequate, and not readily accessible to the average worker. 

 Where species are described as new the writer has endeavored to 

 present, as far as possible, accurate drawings to supplement 

 the descriptions. On account of the growing importance of the 

 ecologic and economic relationships of Insects, a short dis- 

 cussion of these two phases of study is given. 



The types of new species will be deposited in and numbered 

 at the South African Museum, Cape Town. 



ACKNOWLEDGMENT. 



I desire here to express my sincere thanks to Professor 

 Osborn, of the Department of Zoology and Entomology of the 

 Ohio State University, for much valuable suggestion and 

 criticism, and for facilities placed at my disposal; to Mr. 

 Hewitt of the Albany Museum, for the loan of specimens 

 and to my father, Mr. R. J. Cogan, for material forwarded 

 to me for study. 



HISTORICAL. 



The earliest references to the Homoptera of South Africa 

 are contained in Linne's work, Systema Natura, Ed. X, pub- 

 lished in 1758, wherein the descriptions of four Cicadas and a 

 Fulgorid are contained. During the same century, Fabricius 

 was responsible for the descriptions of some few forms which 

 had been collected by the early voyagers and explorers of the 

 Cape of Good Hope. Among others De Geer may be mentioned 

 as contributing to our knowledge during the same period. 

 The first half of the nineteenth century was not productive 

 of many workers in the suborder — Germar, Westwood, Guerin, 

 Anyot and Serville, Thunl)erg and Burmeister, were perhaps 

 the most prominent. But the year 1850 saw the appearance 

 of Walker's List of Homopetra in The British Museum and 

 during the succeeding two decades, considerable work was done 

 by Stal, Signoret and Westwood. 



