Monographia Tenthredinetarum. 261 



unless the means and opportunities of its author be very extensive, 

 he had better content himself, (if he has Science at heart,) to de- 

 scribe those species which may appear new ; by which means he 

 is gradually advancing the science, and his labours will be duly 

 appreciated by every lover of Natural History. 



How many Monographs have issued from the press, when in the 

 course of a very short time, the number of the species has been 

 nearly doubled ! : nothing can convince us more of the futility of 

 attempting such a work, without years of labour and patient inves- 

 tigation. Did the illustrious author of Monographia Apium Ang- 

 liae, collect the materials and the observations of his invaluable 

 work in a few months ? No, it was the work of years of assiduous 

 labour and minute observation ! ; by which means he obtained 

 those valuable facts, which nothing but time and intense applica- 

 tion could ever have enabled him to possess We wish to see a 

 few more such works ; for we consider, that if Entomologists, in- 

 stead of accumulating and forming extensive collections, and vying 

 with each other in the number of their species, would limit them- 

 selves in some measure, and pay a little more attention to the 

 economy of certain Families, we should hope that in a few years 

 much good would result, and that we might anticipate that deve- 

 lopement of the delightful system of Nature, and that view of the 

 distribution of its creatures, which it is only by patient investiga- 

 tion that we may ever hope to attain. 



Systematic works on Entomology will but seldom bear quota- 

 tion ; we shall therefore merely give an outline of the Synopsis of 

 the Genera, with the number of species described under each ; 

 which we consider will be as much as can be required from a 

 work of this nature. 



TENTHREDINETjE. 



A. Antennaj articulis pluribus quam decern. 



Is Cellulae radiales, 3; cubitales, 3. Antennas sctacea?. 

 Ovidepositorium abdomen multum superans. 

 Divisio, a xyela, Dalmami, contains 2 species. 

 II. Cellulas radiales, 2. 

 1. Cellular cubitales, 4. 



