1911] Morse — Orthopterological Work of Mr. S. H. ScvMer 189 



tion and stridulation of the orthoptera and the habits of butterflies. 

 Throughout his writings, from the earliest period to the very 

 latest, it is evident that the biology and distribution of these 

 insects appealed strongly to him; two special papers only need 

 be mentioned in this connection: "The distribution of insects 

 in New Hampshire" and "Alpine Orthoptera." His last and 

 most complete article on stridulation will be found in the 23d 

 annual report of the Entomological Society of Ontario (1893), 

 being practically a revision of his earlier papers combined with 

 subsequent observations. 



Mr. Scudder's systematic articles on orthoptera were written 

 from the point of view of the specialist, and for specialists, and 

 in the absence of an adequate technical introduction to the order 

 are sometimes difficult for the unaided student. It is to be regretted 

 that he did not prepare such an introduction as is needed to fill 

 the hiatus between the novice and the expert. 



In systematic work he was often too far in advance of his time 

 for his views to be popular or fully appreciated by his contempo- 

 raries. This was notably the case in the Lepidoptera where his 

 apparently undue splitting-up of genera seemed to them unjusti- 

 fiable, his discrimination of species being more generally recognized. 

 Yet today his views on genera are largely accepted. The publi- 

 cation of his North American Ceuthophili with its wealth of new 

 species caused a gasp of protest at standards called "Scud- 

 derian, " yet there are probably even more species in the group 

 than were recognized by Mr. Scudder. In the Orthoptera I have 

 often thought that his judgment on genera was more accurate 

 than on species, both in his earlier and later works. In estimating 

 species he was more likely to describe the same one twice without 

 apparent justification than to fail in detecting a new form, but 

 there are occasional instances of tangled nomenclature due to 

 the latter type of error. 



The material which Mr. Scudder studied came to him from 

 various sources: a limited portion was collected in person, partic- 

 ularly most of his early New England specimens; a part was 

 acquired by purchase and exchange — by these means he secured 

 much froin foreign localities as well as from the west; another 

 part was obtained by acting as oSicial expert in reporting upon 

 the specimens collected by the government surveys of the western 



