﻿2 Major Parry's Catalogue 



species by several well known Entomologists have from time to 

 time appeared in the Transactions of the Entomological Societies 

 of London and of France, and among the descriptions alluded to 

 I am happy to say that the interesting group of the Peclinicornia 

 has not been neglected. Mr. Wilson Saunders has published, 

 with plates, in the 3rd volume of the second series of our Trans- 

 actions, the characters of several new and rare species from China, 

 collected by Mr. Fortune in his travels through the tea districts 

 of that country, previously unexplored in an entomological point 

 of view ; my friend Professor Westwood, in the same volume, as 

 well as in subsequent publications of our Society, has also given 

 some excellent figures and descriptions of numerous new and rare 

 species; and I myself have also had the pleasure of recently sub- 

 mitting to the Society descriptions of several interesting novelties. 

 This considerable increase during the last few years to our 

 Lucanoid Coleoptera, coming chiefly from India, China and the 

 Eastern and Australian Archipelagos, as well as the addition to 

 our collections of various other species heretofore considered of 

 extreme rarity, or known only by indifferent descriptions or still 

 more indifferent figures, has enabled the Entomologist to clear up 

 many points with reference to the identity and localities of the 

 Lucanoiden, and has further given him the opportunity of forming 

 a more just and comprehensive view respecting the very im- 

 portant point of species and variety. 



Great confusion has hitherto existed in the synonymy and 

 nomenclature of the diflferent famihes ; with the view, therefore, 

 to its rectification, a newly revised catalogue would, I feel, prove 

 not unacceptable ; and by the encouragement and assistance re- 

 ceived from many entomological friends, 1 have been induced to 

 undertake the present publication. 1 cannot refrain, whilst upon 

 this point, from expressing my best thanks, especially to Count 

 Mniszech, James Thomson, Esq., Dr. Gray, Professor Westwood, 

 W. Wilson Saunders, Esq., A. R. Wallace, Esq., A. Fry, Esq., and 

 J. C. Bowring, Esq., for having most kindly placed at my disposal 

 the various species required for examination. 



It would be superfluous here to enumerate all those Ento- 

 mologists, who, either by their descriptions of new genera or of 

 species, have contributed to our knowledge of this interesting 

 group; such descriptions, with the names of the respective 

 authors, will be duly notified in their places in the catalogue. 

 But I think it desirable to allude to those distinguished authors 

 who have more particularly and so conspicuously, by their several 

 publications, advanced our knowledge, with reference more 



