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  Hymenoptera 
  Orientalis 
  ; 
  or 
  Contributions 
  to 
  a 
  know- 
  

   ledge 
  of 
  the 
  Hymenoptera 
  of 
  the 
  Oriental 
  Zoological 
  

   Region. 
  By 
  P. 
  Cameron. 
  Communicated 
  by 
  John 
  

   Boyd, 
  Esq. 
  

  

  {Received 
  March 
  iit/i, 
  iS8g.) 
  

  

  Part 
  I. 
  

   Introduction. 
  

  

  Notwithstanding 
  the 
  large 
  number 
  of 
  our 
  countrymen 
  

   who 
  reside 
  in 
  our 
  East 
  Indian 
  possessions, 
  our 
  knowledge 
  

   of 
  their 
  insect 
  fauna, 
  ev^en 
  of 
  the 
  Hindostan 
  peninsula, 
  is 
  

   exceedingly 
  meagre 
  and 
  fragmentary. 
  A 
  good 
  beginning 
  

   has 
  been 
  made 
  towards 
  the 
  study 
  of 
  the 
  Lepidoptera, 
  but 
  

   the 
  same 
  can 
  hardly 
  be 
  said 
  of 
  the 
  other 
  orders. 
  As 
  regards 
  

   the 
  Hymenoptera, 
  excellent 
  work 
  has 
  been 
  done 
  by 
  our 
  

   distinguished 
  countryman, 
  Mr. 
  A. 
  R. 
  Wallace, 
  more 
  par- 
  

   ticularly 
  in 
  the 
  Islands 
  ; 
  and 
  his 
  labours 
  have 
  been 
  recorded 
  

   in 
  numerous 
  papers 
  by 
  my 
  late 
  friend, 
  Mr. 
  Frederick 
  Smith, 
  

   of 
  the 
  British 
  Museum. 
  But, 
  with 
  all 
  that, 
  very 
  much 
  

   remains 
  to 
  be 
  done 
  before 
  our 
  knowledge 
  of 
  the 
  Oriental 
  

   Hymenoptera 
  can 
  be 
  fairly 
  stated 
  to 
  be 
  at 
  all 
  adequate. 
  

   The 
  fact 
  that 
  less 
  than 
  2,000 
  species 
  have 
  been 
  recorded 
  

   from 
  the 
  Oriental 
  region 
  is 
  sufficient 
  evidence 
  of 
  the 
  truth 
  

   of 
  this 
  statement 
  ; 
  and 
  of 
  the 
  need 
  of 
  the 
  attention 
  of 
  

   Indian 
  residents 
  being 
  directed 
  to 
  such 
  a 
  promising 
  field 
  

   of 
  entomological 
  study. 
  

  

  My 
  own 
  attention 
  was 
  drawn 
  to 
  the 
  inquiry 
  by 
  Mr. 
  G. 
  

   A. 
  James 
  Rothney 
  offering 
  to 
  place 
  at 
  my 
  disposal 
  for 
  study 
  

   the 
  beautiful 
  and 
  extensive 
  collection 
  formed 
  by 
  him 
  during 
  

   many 
  years' 
  residence 
  in 
  India, 
  chiefly 
  in 
  the 
  Calcutta 
  

   district. 
  This 
  valuable 
  source 
  of 
  information 
  has 
  been 
  

  

  