222 [February, 



and 439 species, whilst the Ichneumonidce are 136 genera and 1186 species. Thus the 

 List specifies and gives the synonymy of no less than 1654. species, a considerable 

 proportion of which are now for the first time indicated as British. Such works as 

 those of Dahlbom, Grayenhorst, Nees von Escnbeck, and Wesmael, of Forster, 

 Holmgren and Thomson, shew that tliis group of insects has been far more extensively 

 and thoroughly studied on the Continent than in this country ; but the names of 

 Ilaliday and Desvignes deserve to be remembered, and their mantle appears to have 

 fallen on the Eev. T. A. Marshall. 



In the 4th part of Trans. Ent. Soc. 1872, pp. 259—264, published in December, 

 will be found some notes on this Catalogue by Mr. Marshall himself ; and the limited 

 space at the disposal of the present writer suggests to him the propriety of confining 

 his remarks to a running commentary on the compiler's notes. 



Mr. Marshall is able to make the satisfactory statement that, with the single 

 exception of a misprint, centaura for centatirecB on p. 112, " it is believed that no 

 erratum exists of a kind likely to mislead the reader." When the nature of the 

 work is considered, this is marvellous, but to a great ex .ent it is attributable to the 

 author's caligraphy. Having seen the MS., I can only regi'et that it could not be 

 published in fac simile. 



With regard to the names adopted and their orthography, the general correctness 

 of the received names has been found to compare favourably with other Orders. 

 Few changes of nomenclature have been introduced ; the law of priority has been 

 observed, but the observance has been tempered with discretion ; " priority has been 

 a hobby with the compiler, but the hobby has not been ridden to death ; " cases of 

 mis-spelling have been corrected, but the identity of the name has been preserved ; 

 where the faulty construction of compound names was found to admit of no simple 

 remedy, the incorrectly-formed compounds hfive been retained, without attempting 

 to improve what is radically wrong, or what, if touched at all, must be improved away ; 

 adjectival specific names have been made to agree in gender with the generic name. 

 In short, the principles upon which the Catalogue has been prepared appear to the 

 present writer to be sound principles, though naturally there may be room for doubt 

 as to their correct application in particular cases. 



On glancing over the pages, the following queries have occurred to mc. On 

 p. 2, Panzer's Oinalus is properly changed to Homalits ; why, then, on p. 50, is 

 Stephen's Enicospilus not changed to Seiiicospiius, hut left without the initial M? 

 On p. 8, Ichneumon periscelis is retained ; why, then, on p. 11, is /. caloscelis changed 

 to caloscelus 1 On p. 50, Ophion is made of neuter gender, and, to agree therewith, 

 Mr. Marshall has altered obscurus, luteus, &c., into obscnnim, luteum, &c. ; but why 

 this change ? Surely Ophion is masculine, as much as Tri/phon (p. 73) or Bracon 

 (p. 96) ; the fabulous Ophion of Sardinia was made masculine both by Greeks and 

 Latins, and, as the proper name of one of the giants, or of the father of the centaur 

 Amycus, Ophion is a masculine name: moreover, if the word were Ophion (neut.), 

 not Ophion (masc), the genitive case would be Ophii,not Ophionis, and there would 

 be didlculty in arriving at the name Ophionides, which Mr. Marshall adopts for this 

 sub-family of Ichneumonidm. On p. 132, are the specific names leptogaster and 

 appendigaster substantives or adjectives ? If the latter, should we not read Bacnusa 

 U'pto<iasira and Evania appendigastra ! Or should the mongrel hybrid appe:idi_>,<i>.ter 

 be kicked out with his tail drooping F Again, on p. 51, is xaidhopun a substantive, 



