A Monograph of Egyplian D'tptcr 



Introductory Note 



hy 



Edward IFindiA':, 



Profassor of /iio/of/j/, Sc/mol of Mrdiciiw, Cm ko. 



The slii.ly ol llu' K-\ |.'.iaii l'aima lias L.iig attraclcd Ihc aitcn- 

 liou of ;'())!oi>ists in iiiost, Europcan counfries as evideuoed hy tlie 

 miiiibtr Ol' expéditions, botli private and otherwise, for tlie pue- 

 pose ol' !-tiu!ying the ani^lal>:^ occurring in the Nile Valley. The re- 

 sults of thèse expéditions, howevcr, give a very inadéquate idca 

 of ail except a fcw isulated groups of animais, as it is impossible 

 for a visiter to a country to ohtain anything like the same insight 

 into its natural history, as that ohtained hy résident observers. The 

 numbcr and occurrence of animais varies, not only with each season, 

 but also in différent years, and apart from this a visiter does not 

 possess the same degree of intercourse with the natives and other 

 advantages possessed by the occui)ants of the country. 



Until comparatively recently the fauna of Egypt has rarely 

 bcen studied by any résident naturalists and therefore it is not 

 surprising that our knowledge of most groups of animais, and 

 especially invert ohrates, is still very incomplète. 



An additional cause for the lack of information is the absence 

 of any continuity in the studies of the fauna, and in particular the 

 absence of an adéquate Natural History Muséum for the réception 

 of spécimens. Through the untiring efforts of Major S. S. Flower, 

 Director of the Zoological Survey of Egypt, a start has been made 

 in this direction, but the Ituilding provided is inadéquate for the 

 réception of even the vertebratc fauna of Egypt. In addition the 

 Entomological Section of the Ministry of Agriculture, under the 

 direction of Dr. L. Gough, has formed the nucleus of a collection 

 of the insects of the country, and the Sultanic Agricultural Society 

 a collection of those of économie importance. 



Apart from thèse three institutions, no récent attempt has been 

 made to remedy this defect in the intellectual development of Egypt 



