292 CHINCH BUG ITS GENERIC NAME. 



country thirty years ago than it is at present, for Mr. Say had 

 only met with a single specimen of it, an individual of our 

 Variety dimidiutvs, which he found on the eastern shore of Vir- 

 ginia, and he was wholly unaware of its importance in an 

 economical aspect. He named it Lygceus leucopterus or the white- 

 winged Lygseus. This genus now forms the Family Lygaida, 

 and is chiefly characterised by having the scutel or triangular 

 piece between the base of the wings short and not reaching the 

 middle of the abdomen, the antennae inserted upon or below a 

 line drawn from the eyes to the base of the beak, four-jointed 

 with the last joint thickest or at least not more slender than the 

 preceding one, and the thin membrane at the end of the wing 

 covers with not more than four or five veins. 



At the date when Mr. Say described this insect, M. Serville 

 had proposed separating those species of the old genus Lygseus 

 in which the anterior thighs are swelled or thickened, into a 

 distinct genus which he named Pachymerus. But as this name 

 had anteriorly been applied by Latreille to another genus of 

 insects, it became necessary to alter it; and Mr. Say therefore 

 proposed abbreviating it to the name Pamerus, under which 

 name he placed nine of the nineteen new species which he de- 

 scribed in this family. The European naturalists have proba- 

 bly been unaware of this correction made by Mr. Say, and the 

 following year M. De Laporte proposed to substitute the name 

 Jiphanus for that of Pachymerus. But M. Guerinhad anteriorly 

 given the badly constructed name Aphccna to another genus of 

 insects, the orthography of which, when it came to be rectified, 

 became Aphanus. As this name, therefore, could not be retained, 

 Mr. Curtis proposed the name Rhyparochromus for these insects, 

 which name has been adopted by M. Serville and the European 

 naturalists generally. But the rule of priority will certainly 

 give Mr. Say's name, Pamerus,the precedence of Rhyparochromus. 

 It may be objected to this name, however, that it is a hybrid, 

 not being regularly constructed nor yet a purely fantastic name. 

 Yet under the circumstances, it appears to us it was more judi- 

 cious and serviceable to the science thus to alter a name which 

 had become current, than to abolish it and introduce a new 

 one. 



