AUTHOR S PKEFACK. Vli 



and JNIr. Imms have also done), tlius affoidinj^ me the great 

 advantage of having practicallj^ all the known Indian species 

 before me simultaneously whilst describing. 



A large proportion of the new species have been collected 

 by Dr. Annandale and Mr. Green, and a considerable number 

 by Mr. C. Paiva of the Indian Museum. Owing to this fact 

 the types of six-sevenths of the recorded species have been 

 under my personal examination, for out of over four hundred 

 species dealt with in this volume only about sixty have been 

 described by other authors. The previously recorded sj^ecies 

 have been identified by me from descriptions only, except 

 in a few instances in which ray identifications have been 

 corroborated by comparison -with types. 



As regards the use of the words "type,''' ''cotype," and 

 so on, til ere seems no necessity to discuss the various terms 

 with their exact meanings here, in view of the different 

 opinions of zoologists on this subject; and more especially 

 as the simple terms ''type" and "cotype" fulfil all the 

 requirements in this work. Yet a few remarks to avoid 

 ambiguity to the student, and that he may at least under- 

 stand the senses in which the terms are understood by me, 

 may be pardonable. Personally, when describing a new 

 species, of which several specimens of each sex are present. 

 I select one male and one female which, (1) embody the 

 whole or the bulk of tlie characters of the species, (2) are in 

 as perfect condition as possible, and (3) from their mounting 

 allow the best view of all parts of the body. 



These two specimens are termed the type male and type 

 female, and whenever both sexes are present, the type male 25 

 ahvays the type of the species. All other specimens present 

 before me at the time of describing are termed cotypes. When 

 only one sex is present, the type specimen may be male or 

 female. In the event of two species being described under the 

 impression that the specimens represented the two sexes of a 

 single species, the name of the sj^ecies must invariably be 



