464 JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY [Vol. 2 



Discussion and Correspondence 



The following communication has been received from Mr. Nathan 

 Banks : 



I do not know as it is of any use to say much about Dr. Nuttall's 

 statements on page 361, Journal of Economic Entomology, 1909. 

 Anj^one who uses the work can see readily how largely it is a com- 

 pilation and not a monograph. Dr. Nuttall says that of the eleven 

 valid species of Ornithodoros they have studied eight. Of the three 

 valid species that they do not know, specimens of two are in the Paris 

 ]\Iuseum, and the type of the other is in Berlin; all were studied by 

 Dr. Neumann. Moreover there are three "doubtful" species, the type 

 of one is in Berlin, and Donitz states it has a good structural char- 

 acter. The two other doubtful species were described by Birula (St. 

 Petersburg) . Dr. Birula is alive and available, and in a similar case 

 where the present writer was in doubt about one of Dr. Birula 's 

 species {Ixodes signatus) he wrote to that gentleman and obtained a 

 cotype of the species. 



Besides the five species of Argas seen by Dr. Nuttall there are two 

 species described by Dr. Neumann, the type of one in Paris, the other 

 in Berlin, while another species, classed "doubtful" by Dr. Nuttall, 

 has been identified by Dr. Neumann from numerous specimens in the 

 Paris Museum. To receive some material from a museum, and to go 

 to that museum and study the type-material are very different mat- 

 ters. After the description of 0. turicata we read, p. 59. 

 "Neumann's description from which the above is partly taken," etc. 



After the description of 0. talaje we read, p. 60. "The foregoing 

 description (condensed from Neumann, 1896, p. 34-36) is based on 

 the examination," etc. 



After the description of 0. erraticus we read, p. 64. "Neumann's 

 description, from which the above is taken, " etc. 



After the description of 0. thalozani we read, p. 66. "The above 

 description of the adult and nymph are condensed from Neumann," 

 etc. 



After the description of 0. megnini we read, p. 75. "The foregoing 

 description of the adult is partly based on that of Neumann," 



"that of the nymph on the description of Neumann and 

 Salmon and Stiles." 



Is this the way to prepare a monograph ? A monograph represents 

 original work, largely on type material; a going behind the descrip- 

 tions of others, not a compilation from them; an examination of the 



