BY R. J. TILLYARD. 599 



in the hindwing only. These characters are included in Text-fig. 

 60, and serve to show that Handlirsch's assertion that this Order 

 lias retained ''archaic homononious wings" is the result of too 

 cursory a survey of the venational characters. 



(7) The apex of the wing is well rounded in all forms through- 

 out the Order. 



(8) The pupal wings are merotracheate, as in the archaic* 

 Choristidae (23) . 



Having now indicated the principal characters of the Arche- 

 type of this Order, and the methods by w T hich they have been 

 arrived at, it will only be necessary to give a fuller study of 

 the aherrant but ai^chaic genus Merope, the venation of which 

 has been very seriously misinterpreted by Cornstock, and to 

 tabulate the principal characters of the known families of the 

 Order . 



The Venation of the genus Merope. 



In working out the Archetype of the Meeoptera, much weight 

 has to be given to the evidence offered by this genus. Comstock 

 (15, fig. 317) has interpreted its venation along the lines of his 

 hypothetical type, in which the number of branches of Rs and 

 Mi_4 respectively is limited to four. I have made a careful 

 study of a female specimen of this rare insect, in my own col- 

 lection, received in exchange from Mr. Nathan Banks, to whom 

 my best thanks are due. As a result, I am quite unable to agree 

 with Comstock. 



Text-fig. 61 shows the venation of this insect, and Text-fig. 62 

 the bases of the two wings, much enlarged. The points in 

 dispute are the limits of M and Cu. The vein which I call M 4b) 

 and which, in Comstock's specimen, is strongly forked in both 

 wings, is labelled by him Cuj ; and an ingenious, but quite un- 

 sound, argument is used to explain away the obvious fact of 

 its attachment to M. This explanation involves the veins lying 

 below these two, and is best given in Comstock's own words 

 (15, p. 304) :— ' 



"In the forewing of the specimen taken at Ithaca, cubitus 

 and the first anal vein coalesce for a short distance. Imme- 

 diately after vein Cu separates from 1st A, Cuj extends trans- 

 versely to the long axis of the wing and anastomoses with vein 

 M for a considerable distance. . . The anal furrow is along 

 the first anal vein. ... In the hindwing of this specimen 

 vein Cu x anastomoses with vein M 4 for a short distance." 



