British Species of Caddis-flies. 3 
Stephens’ ‘“Tllustrations of British Entomology,” as the first 
work professing to give descriptions of all known native species. 
In this work, in the sixth volume of the Mandibulata, published 
in 1836—7, I find (excluding two species of Lepidoptera, erro- 
neously described as Trichoptera) descriptions of 183 so-called 
species. This has a very pleasing appearance so far as our 
apparent richness is concerned, and is probably somewhat near the 
number that really inhabit this country, when all shall have been 
discovered, but concerning those then known it is altogether 
illusory, some species being described under as many as six dif- 
ferent names, and the two sexes sometimes placed in different 
genera or in different sections. Moreover, in some cases, Stephens 
had displaced names used in his Catalogue to give preference to 
those employed by Curtis in his paper in the Philosophical 
Magazine, applying these latter to the wrong insects, and thus 
creating additional confusion. 
After Stephens, nothing whatever was done for many years, 
until, in 1857, Dr. Hagen made a short visit to this country, and 
jotted down notes on the species in our Collections. After his 
return home he drew up from these notes a Synopsis of the 
British Species, which was published in the ‘ Entomologist’s 
Annual” for 1859—61. In this work, which may be looked 
upon as a masterpiece, considering that the descriptions were 
drawn up from notes only, made during a hurried visit, the 
number of species was reduced to 108, which included several 
not previously recorded. This number I have found it necessary 
to still further diminish, so far as relates to our knowledge at that 
period, but there were also some few species then known which 
were accidentally omitted or misunderstood by Dr. Hagen; the 
true number known at that time being probably under 100. In 
the present Monograph I give descriptions of about 126 species 
(a few being rather doubtful), arranged in 43 genera, thus showing 
a considerable addition to our Trichopterous Fauna during the 
past four or five years, and this too the work of very few Ento- 
mologists. 
I sincerely hope that the publication of this work will induce 
some of our Entomologists to devote their attention to these 
much-neglected insects. Most of us in our first essays at ensnar- 
ing the finny inhabitants of our lakes and streams, have made 
personal acquaintance with the larve of the Caddis-flies, the 
* Caddis-worms” as they are commonly called. I would beg then 
that some of those with entomological proclivities should also 
turn their attention to the insects produced from these larve. I 
BY 
