AUTHOR'S PREFACE. 



It is now over nine years since the preparation of this 

 volume was first begun, the pressure of other work having 

 continually hindered its completion. It was inevitabh^ that 

 during so long a period changes should have taken place in 

 one's opinions and methods, and as it was impossible to 

 re-examine all the material dealt with in the earlier stages, 

 certain inequalities of treatment have resulted, for which 

 indulgence mnst be asked. 



It is with the greatest pleasure that I acknowledge my 

 indebtedness to numerous friends and correspondents, without 

 whose kindly assistance I could not have hoped to complete 

 this first instalment of my work. Of the older collections of 

 CuRCULiONiDiE the most important is that in the Stockholm 

 Museum, which contains the types of Gyllenhal, Boheman, 

 Chevrolat, etc., and all of these have been entrusted to mo 

 for examination by my friend Prof. Dr. Yngve Sjostedt j 

 while both he and Prof. Dr. C. Auriviilius have helped me 

 with most engaging kindness during my various visits to 

 their beautiful citv. Of modern collections of Cukculionid.E 

 by far the most important is that accumulated by the 

 distinguished specialist on this family, the late Johannes 

 Faust, who described some 2300 new species from all parts 

 of the world. This collection is now in the Dresden Museum 

 under the charge of Dr. K. M. Keller, to whom I am under /-/ / 



a great obligation for the loan of numerous types of species / 



described by both Faust and himself. In the Civic Museum ' 



at Genoa there is a valuable collection of Coleoptera made in 



