INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. 15 



some Spheces to the genuine Ichneumons, ^pis 

 comprehends Vespa, Sphex, Chrysis, and Apis. 

 In all 101 species are described without Trivial 

 Names. In the sixth edition of the Systems Na- 

 tune, which came out in 1748, the species are for 

 the first time enumerated and defined ; a new genus, 

 Cynips, is introduced, and a new character formed 

 for Tenthredo (a) . This edition is also distinguished 

 by the convenient adoption of Trivial Names. 

 No further improvements were made by Linneus 

 in this class, till the publication of the tenth edi- 

 tion in 1758, in which the present characters of 

 both class and genera are finally given. 



From this summary view of the progress of 

 Linneus in perfecting the Hymenoptera class, it 

 appears that he was long in giving it all the im- 

 provement of which he thought it capable. His 

 original idea seems to have been to construct his 

 genera from variations in the Aculeus-, to this he 

 adliered through nine editions of his Sy sterna, till at 

 length, finding that the same kind of jiculeus was 

 common to more than one natural genus, he had 

 recourse to other parts for his characters ; he still 

 keeps it, however, at the head of his Essential 

 Characters, and has added no other in his four 

 first genera. 



The orders into which Linneus thought of 

 dividing this class, as appears from the Fundamenta 



(tj) Cynips Aculeus ani conico-carinatus. Larva intra gallam, 

 Tenthredo Aculeus ani feminis serratus. Larva polypoda. 



Entomologie, 



