PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS 131 



five catalogues. Some extensive collections of this order 

 are preserved in S. Africa, and of these Dr. I'eringuey's 

 is perhaps the largest. It is to be hoped that this valu- 

 able private collection will not pass out of this country, 

 and that a foresighted policy will secure its incorporation 

 into the already large collection of the S. African 

 Museum. Next to this unique collection comes, prob- 

 ably, that of the Transvaal Museum and the rather large 

 collection of Cecil Barker, which has been secured by 

 the Durban Museum. No doubt several other collections 

 of beetles exist in S. Africa among private collectors. 

 South African ^luseums have, on the whole, compara- 

 tively small collections. This is largely due, I think, to 

 lack of accommodation. There is no doubt that much 

 still remains to be done in this order, and that we need 

 more students to follow up the work already accom- 

 plished. Seeing that man^^ beetles are of economic in- 

 terest, it is surprising that we know hardly anything 

 about the life histories of the great majority of those in 

 S. Africa. 



^iplwnoptera (fleas, etc.) and Diptera (flies). Little 

 has been done with the members of these orders, though 

 those of the latter are exceedingly abundant and of con- 

 siderable economic importance. Only the more striking 

 and larger species have been classified, and not one-tenth 

 of what requires doing has been accomplished. At the 

 present time we have no Dipterologist, as we have a Cole- 

 opterist like Dr. Periuguey. Several European entomolo- 

 gists have studied our Diptera, of whom Loew, Herman, 

 Bezzi, Villeneuf. Theobald, Austin and Eicardo are the 

 best known. From an economic point of view^ the blood- 

 sucking flies are certainly most important, and their 

 classification and mode of life are being studied in con- 

 nection with diseases by Mr. Bedford. Still, more 

 workers will be required before the order can be mono- 

 graphed on the scale it deserves. 



Lepidoptera. I will refrain from giving all the data 

 in my possession with regard to the study of this order. 



