160 Journal New York Extomological Society. [Vol. xxji. 



It may safely be stated as a postulate that, if a synoptic writing 

 succeed in conveying to its students the means of arriving at its 

 author's concept of the entities included therein, it must of necessity 

 be considered as having attained the end for which it was created. 

 Mr. Coquillett's work has passed this test. It is certainly true that 

 many of his descriptions are much too brief. Also his palette is set 

 with but two colors; namely, black and yellow. Of these, his black 

 is often not black, and his yellow may be any tint ranging from true 

 yellow to reddish brown. Nevertheless, enough structural or other 

 characters are usually included to enable the student to follow his 

 meaning in most cases. In other words, the entities included are 

 recognizable as the author saw them. That he was sometimes wrong 

 in his point of view does not alter the intrinsic value of the synopsis 

 materially. 



Again, if such a work afford other investigators a practicable 

 basis for future discussion, it must be considered as possessing value. 

 It may be stated with perfect truth, that every worker mentioned in 

 Mr. Townsend's recent article has used the Revision of the North 

 American Tachinid;e as a basis for his investigations. This in my 

 estimation is the significant point to be kept in mind while judging 

 Mr. Coquillett's work. Brauer and Bergenstamm's publication, except- 

 ing always its superb illustrations, has suffered because it is incompre- 

 hensible to most investigators. 



Mr. Townsend has complained many times in print of the injustice 

 done him by the synonymy as compiled by Coquillett. But. sad to 

 relate, without its voluminous synonymy, this really monumental work 

 would be as difficult of comprehension as most of that which it has 

 supplanted. In this synopsis ]\Ir. Coquillett undoubtedly sank some 

 names, both generic and specific, which either have been or will be 

 revived. His manuscript note^ show that he himself recognized this 

 fact. But 'Sir. Townsend's statement to the effect that " Whenever 

 it was possible so to manipulate type designations as to sink genera, 

 he has not neglected the opportunity," I regard as unjust in its insinu- 

 ations. I much prefer to believe that Mr. Coquillett acted from con- 

 viction alone in these matters. 



Any person who has the opportunity of comparing Mr. Town- 

 send's type specimens with his published descriptions can readily 

 understand why at least some of his creations have been relegated 



