gQ [March, 



CTeiuis Tluprestis, Linn," and in 1871 liis " Catalo,!:,ais Buprestidavuni 

 Synonynucus et Systematicus," a work whose importance was imme- 

 diately recognised, and whicli lias ever since remained a classic. In 

 order to render the s}Tiou\anies of his Catalogue as reliable as possible, 

 he undertook the only foreign tour of his life, visiting in succession all 

 the chief Museums of Europe and examining personally the " types " 

 of Buprestid spp. contained in them. From 1872 to 1874 he continued 

 his Avork on this group, describing several new genera and over a 

 himdred new species ; and at the same time began to issue in this 

 Magazine a long series of Notes on British Hemiptera, which were 

 followed in 1875-6, by a Synopsis, in three parts, of the British 

 Hemijitera-Heteroptera, and this again by a large illustrated volume, 

 his well known " Hemiptera-Heteroptera of the British Isles," which 

 was published in 1892. 



Concurrently with this important mass of work on two distinct 

 orders of insects, he began to attaclc a third group — the Aculeate 

 Hymenoptera, to which he gradually transferred his chief attention. 

 Two circumstances may probably have contributed to turn his thoughts 

 this way. His father had purchased Shuckard's fine collection of 

 British Hymenoptera, including several of that author's " types " ; 

 and both father and son were intimately acquainted with the veteran 

 Hymenopterist, Frederick Smith. At any rate for the rest of his hfe 

 the Aculeates (especially the British spp.) became his favourite study, 

 and he xiltimately became not merely the foremost, but, it may 

 almost be said, the final authority upon the latter. His own explana- 

 tion of his special fondness for the Aculeates was that in order to 

 make out the species it was necessary to study structure, and his 

 thoroughness in carrying out this principle gave a qmte exceptional 

 value to his descriptive work. 



In studying our indigenous species he naturally became familiar 

 with descriptions of related Continental forms. These he never had 

 an opportunity to collect for himself, except during his one " grand 

 tour" above mentioned, at which time he was unfortimately not yet 

 interested in them. But his father's cousin. Sir Sidney S. Saunders, 

 who had been Consul-General in Albania, was a well-known writer on 

 palaearctic Hymenoptera, and had collected them in Greece and else- 

 where with great enthusiasm and success, as evidenced by the fine 

 series of his captures now preserved in the Hope Collections at 

 Oxford.* Sir Sidney, though a much older man, was an intimate 



■ Trofessor Poulton informs the writer of much valuable assistance given to his Department 

 recently by Saunders in revising the naming, &e., of the above Collection. 



