302 "^^- F- Kirby: 



characterised, nor even the t_ypes indicated. Had he lived longer, 

 he might have partially remedied this ; but we must take his 

 work as he left it. 



I must now go fully into the question of the relative 

 value of the work of Walker and S t ä 1 , as it is one of 

 vital importance to all Entomologists. W a 1 k e r's work is ver y 

 tinequal, but it is wholly undeserving of the sweeping condem- 

 nation passed upon it by Stäl. I admit that much of Walke r"s 

 work was very indifferent, but many of his errors arose from 

 his describing insects under wrong genera, and a large propor- 

 tion of his speeies, like those of others authors, can easily be 

 identified by his descriptions , wlien the actual speeies 

 are received from the actual localities. I am con- 

 vinced that when an Entomologist falls to recognise a deseribed 

 speeies, it is offen because he attempts to apply the description 

 to an allied speeies from another locality. If a speeies is de- 

 seribed under a wrong genus, the error can easily be rectified, 

 and the insect assigned to a better position, or sunk as a 

 synonym, No serious härm is done, but Stäl's work is far 

 more misleading , for he constantly and recklessly misrepre- 

 sents the work of his predecessors. I could prove this up to 

 the hilt, but will confine myself to two glaring instances. 



Stäl (Hemiptera Africana IV, pag. 35) sinks Gicada 

 aurora Walk, as a synonym of Tibicen (Quintilia) catena Fabr. 

 and redescribes the insect as new on the same page as T. (Qu.) 

 sang Ulnar ms, which latter name is retained by Dr. Kar seh 

 (Berl. Ent. Zeitschr. XXXV, pag. 120) , though he prudently. 

 refrains from copying Stäl's synonymy of T. (Qu.) catena. 



Again, Stäl deseribed a speeies under the name oi Platy- 

 yleura Afzelii, in 1854, but in 186G he deseribed a speeies as 

 Plat. strumosa Fabr., quoting as synonyms P. Afzelü Stäl and 

 Oxypleura contracta Walk. In 1881 Distant deseribed a speeies 

 under the name of P. aerea, in which he afterwards recognised 

 St äl's strumosa, and figured it under that name in 1883, while 

 in 1890 Kars eh deseribed and figured an insect as P. limpidu, 

 which appears to be identical with Walke r's Ox. contracta. 

 But in 1869 Stäl deseribed yet another speeies as the true 

 P. strumosa Fabr. without anything beyond a casual reference 

 to P. Afzelii , to show that he now considered it distinct from 

 that insect. Stäl's three descriptions o{ P. Afzelii, and P. stnmoso , 



