134 FOSSIL INSECTS FROM COMMENTRY, FRANCE. 



must be present. But Bolton mentions nothing of this sort, and 

 the photograph in his PL ii., fig.l, certainly shows nothing that 

 could be so interpreted. The probability, then, of this fossil 

 having belonged to the Mecoptera, is very much diminished upon 

 this count alone 



Taking all the evidence into consideration, it seems legitimate 

 to conclude that Sycopteron is most certainly not a member of 

 the Order Mecoptera, but that it is very likely an archaic type 

 of the Order Psocoptera, related to Anijyhientomum of the Oligo- 

 cene, but considerably less specialised, in that it lacks all five of 

 the venational specialisations possessed by this genus. It should 

 certainly be placed in a new family Sycopteridce, having the 

 characters already mentioned. It should be noticed that the 

 size of this insect (wings 9-10 mm.) agrees very well with its 

 inclusion in the Order Psocoptera, all the known members of 

 which are small, ranging from a wing-length of only 10 mm., at 

 most, down to very minute and wingless recent forms. 



