﻿8 
  PROCEEDINGS 
  OF 
  THE 
  NATIONAL. 
  MUSEUM 
  vol.67 
  

  

  we 
  believe 
  the 
  method 
  adopted 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  best, 
  not 
  only 
  because 
  it 
  

   saves 
  space 
  and 
  therefore 
  cost 
  of 
  printing, 
  but 
  what 
  is 
  more 
  im- 
  

   portant 
  it 
  avoids 
  burying 
  in 
  a 
  mass 
  of 
  verbiage, 
  the 
  really 
  essential 
  

   points 
  of 
  characterization. 
  Some 
  entomologists 
  insist 
  upon 
  the 
  so- 
  

   called 
  full 
  descriptions 
  and 
  while 
  their 
  motive 
  is 
  laudable, 
  a 
  little 
  

   consideration 
  of 
  actual 
  entomological 
  practice 
  indicates 
  that 
  the 
  

   results 
  are 
  not 
  those 
  hoped 
  for. 
  It 
  seems 
  the 
  almost 
  certain 
  fate, 
  

   for 
  instance, 
  when 
  revising 
  a 
  group, 
  to 
  find 
  that 
  no 
  matter 
  how 
  

   " 
  full 
  " 
  previous 
  descriptions 
  may 
  be, 
  they 
  contain 
  no 
  mention 
  of 
  the 
  

   particular 
  detail 
  about 
  which 
  information 
  is 
  sought. 
  And 
  this 
  defect 
  

   is 
  inherent 
  in 
  the 
  very 
  nature 
  of 
  taxonomic 
  practice. 
  In 
  every 
  revision 
  

   worthy 
  of 
  the 
  name 
  intensive 
  search 
  is 
  made 
  for 
  new 
  characters 
  that 
  

   will 
  aid 
  in 
  classification 
  of 
  the 
  group 
  and 
  the 
  more 
  success 
  attained 
  

   in 
  finding 
  them 
  the 
  more 
  will 
  previous 
  descriptions 
  fail 
  to 
  satisfy. 
  

   Viewed 
  from 
  this 
  standpoint, 
  it 
  is 
  obvious* 
  that 
  an 
  isolated 
  descrip- 
  

   tion, 
  however 
  lengthy, 
  might 
  fail 
  to 
  mention 
  any 
  character 
  essential 
  

   to 
  recognition 
  of 
  the 
  species. 
  The 
  moral 
  is 
  that 
  the 
  best 
  method 
  

   of 
  describing 
  new 
  forms 
  is 
  in 
  revisions 
  where 
  keys 
  are 
  given, 
  and 
  

   other 
  comparisons 
  made 
  with 
  related 
  forms. 
  A 
  few 
  words 
  of 
  de- 
  

   scription 
  or 
  comparison 
  in 
  such 
  a 
  connection 
  is 
  likely 
  to 
  be 
  worth 
  

   more 
  than 
  pages 
  of 
  description 
  not 
  formulated 
  as 
  a 
  result 
  of 
  re- 
  

   visional 
  work. 
  

  

  Statements 
  of 
  length 
  in 
  this 
  paper 
  refer 
  to 
  greatest 
  length 
  from 
  

   front 
  of 
  head 
  to 
  tip 
  of 
  abdomen 
  or 
  of 
  hemelytra 
  as 
  the 
  case 
  may 
  be. 
  

  

  PRINCIPAL 
  WORKS 
  CITED. 
  

  

  Because 
  of 
  the 
  frequency 
  with 
  which 
  certain 
  writings 
  on 
  the 
  

   Ploiariinae 
  are 
  cited, 
  it 
  seems 
  desirable 
  to 
  adopt 
  much 
  abbreviated 
  

   references 
  to 
  them. 
  The 
  shortened 
  forms 
  used 
  and 
  bibliographic 
  

   references 
  in 
  full 
  for 
  the 
  papers 
  in 
  point 
  are 
  given 
  in 
  the 
  following 
  

   lists 
  : 
  

  

  Banks. 
  Emesidae. 
  1909. 
  

  

  Banks, 
  Nathan. 
  Notes 
  on 
  our 
  species 
  of 
  Emesidae. 
  Pysehe, 
  vol. 
  1(5, 
  No. 
  

   3, 
  June, 
  1909, 
  pp. 
  43-48, 
  2 
  figs. 
  

   Keys 
  to 
  genera 
  and 
  species 
  of 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  ; 
  6 
  species 
  described 
  as 
  new. 
  

  

  Beegkoth. 
  Ploeariinen. 
  1906. 
  

  

  Bergroth, 
  E. 
  Zur 
  Kenntnis 
  der 
  Ploeariinen. 
  Verhandlungen 
  der 
  kaiser- 
  

   lich-koniglichen 
  zoologisch-botanisehen 
  Gesellschaft 
  in 
  Wien, 
  vol. 
  56, 
  

   1906, 
  pp. 
  305-321. 
  

  

  Original 
  descriptions 
  of 
  6 
  American 
  species, 
  and 
  redescription 
  of 
  one 
  of 
  Dohrn's 
  

   species. 
  

  

  Champion. 
  Biologia, 
  2. 
  1898. 
  

  

  Champion, 
  G. 
  C. 
  [Emesinae.] 
  Biologia 
  Centrali-Amerieana. 
  Insecta. 
  

   Rhynchota. 
  Hemiptera-Heteroptera. 
  vol. 
  2, 
  pp. 
  162-175, 
  pi. 
  10. 
  figs 
  

   7-24, 
  October, 
  1898. 
  

  

  Key 
  to 
  the 
  genera, 
  two 
  of 
  which 
  and 
  9 
  species 
  are 
  described 
  as 
  new. 
  

  

  