110 EECORDS OF THE AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM. 



cross- vein (in first posterior cell) situated a little beyond the 

 discal, great cross-vein before the middle of the latter ; sixth 

 longitudinal vein nearly straight. 



Ilab. — Dunoon, Upper Richmond River, N. S. Wale.s (Helms). 



Three specimens in March. 



STEPHANOCIRCUS, Sk. : A REJOINDER. 



Mr. Carl F. Baker omitted to include a diagnosis of my genus 

 in his table of the genera of the Pulicidtt;* as he evidently 

 first wished to "verify all the points of the description" by 

 the examination of actual specimens. I would explain that the 

 flea in question was taken in large numbers on one animal, 

 Dasytirus maculatus, Kerr, and that there is no mistake in 

 attriljuting the two sexes figured in my paperf to one species.; 

 It would possibly not conform with Mr. Baker's preconceived 

 system of classification of what he calls " Siphonaptera." Before 

 essaying the task of reconstructing existing classification it is 

 usual for the reformer to make himself acquainted with the 

 literature bearing on the subject. Mr. Baker, however, discusses 

 my conclusions at second hand and without attention to the 

 numerous figures upon which I relied to elucidate my meaning. 

 Under these circumstances it is scarcely fair in him to condemn 

 my article as confusing together two species referable to known 

 genera. What genera they should be referred to, Mr. Baker, 

 exercising more discretion than valour, fails to indicate. It is at 

 least remarkable that one supposed species should be all males 

 and the other all females. Were such the case they might pro- 

 duce a hybrid in consonance with Mr. Baker's classification. 



There is a tale extant of a conchologist who elaborated a 

 classification of Mollusca ; one shell however, which refused to fall 

 in line with his system was promptly disposed of under his heel, 

 to save further trouble. It would appear that my Stephanocircus 

 merits a similar sad fate. 



In conclusion I might mention that a very remarkable flea was 

 described from Australia§ by Ollifl', under the name of Echidno- 

 phaga amhdans (from the peculiar character of its inability to 

 jump), but no notice is taken of this insect in Mr. Baker's papers. 



F. A. A. SKUSE. 



* Canad. Entom., xxvii., p. 63. 



tEec. Austr. Mus., ii., p. 77, pi. xvii. 



X strong evidence is furnished by Mr. Baker, himself, when he affirms 

 (I.e., p. 132), "It is not a usual occurrence for two species of fleas to be 

 found living together on a single wild animal," that there is no error in 

 my data. 



§ Proc. Liun. Soc. N.S.W., (2) i., p. 172, (188G). 



