vi author's preface. 



Even more important has been the assistance rendered by 

 my very old friend, Monsieur Rene Oberthiir, whose death in 

 1944, at the age of 92, has deprived us of perhaps the most 

 zealous and stimulatmg collector of Coleoi)tera the world 

 has known. His constant interest and encouragement durhig 

 the progress of the present work and the loan or presentation 

 of the numerous types from his wonderful collection, have 

 been of immense value. Others, to whom I also offer my 

 grateful thanks, include Dr. R. Didier, who has lent me types 

 of species described by himself and Boileau, since presented 

 by him to the Paris Museum, Professor G. D. H. Carpenter, 

 of the Hoije Department of the Oxford University Museum, 

 for putting at my disposal the many ty^^es of Hope and West- 

 wood under his charge, Dr. Hem Singh Prutlii, formerly of the 

 Calcutta Museum, for sending me those of Gravely contamed 

 in that collection, and Herr Paul Nagel, of Hanover, for 

 obtaumig for me from the Hanover Museum the highly 

 interesting type of Lucanus gracilis Albers. 



Many others have helped me by the loan of specimens, and 

 I wish to acknowledge my indebtedness to Dr. C. F. C. Beeson 

 and Mr. J. C. M. Gardner, of the Forest Research Institute, 

 Dehra Dun, Mr. G. M. Henry, of the Colombo Museum, 

 Mr. E. A. D'Abreu, of the Central Museum, Nagpur, Mr. S. H. 

 Prater, of the Bombay Natural History Society, Monsieur 

 Antoine Ball, of the Royal Museum of Natural History, 

 Brussels, Mr. E. R. Leach, of Piedmont, California, and 

 Mr. J. W. Angell, of New York. The collections made in India 

 by Mr. T. R. D. Bell and Mr. H. G. Champion have also been 

 of important assistance. 



In no other group of insects, perhaps, does an adequate 

 conception of the diiferential characters depend to a greater 

 degree than in the Lucamid^ upon a comparison of nuiny 

 specimens. Published descriptions consist, in most cases, of 

 a more or less exact enumeration of the features of a shigle 

 si)ecimen. When this is a female, such a diagnosis api^lics 

 w ith considerable accuracy to any other specimen of the species 

 belonging to the same sex, but Avhen, as is more often the case, 

 the specimen described is a male, it may well Ijc that another 

 specimen of either sex, although of the same species, will 



.TaO» • .t in^ 



