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IX. An Examination of the arrangement of Macro-Lepi- 
doptera introduced in England by Mr. Doubleday, 
and a suggestion as tu its origin; with some 
strictures upon synonymic lists. By W. Arnon 
Lewis. 
[Read 8rd April, 1871.] 
THIs paper is concerned with the Macro-Lepidoptera. Its 
object is to investigate the order of the groups; or (more 
accurately) to examine what is found upon the order of 
the groups in the entomological publications now usually 
consulted. Incidentally to this inquiry, a few reflections 
will suggest themselves upon the essentials of scientific 
authorship ; and some observations will be offered upon 
the degrees of respect to be conceded to writers on ento- 
mological science. 
The Macro-Lepidoptera are, according to the arrange- 
ment as I believe in general use in this country, divided. 
into ten groups; the names and order of the groups as 
usually recognized being as follows:—Ist, Diwrni; 2nd, 
Nocturni; 3rd, Geometree; 4th, Drepanule ; 5th, Pseudo- 
Bombyces; 6th, Noctue; 7th, Deltoides; 8th, Aventie ; 
9th, Pyrales; 10th, Crambi. I say this is the order 
usually adopted in this country, because, though I am 
not acquainted with any of the leading collections, yet 
all those which have come to the hammer of recent 
years (and many of them had the sanction of well-known 
names,) have been so arranged. Moreover, all the ex- 
change lists printed for use by the active collectors 
adopt this order, as do the lists of captures, etc., in the 
entomological journals. We shall almost immediately 
have to trace, to some extent, the steps by which this 
arrangement came to be introduced: but it will be well 
to state concisely in what particulars it most conspi- 
cuously differs from its predecessors. It differs mainly 
in having no group Sphinges, and no group Bombyces, 
but in place of those having a group Nocturni, and a 
eroup Pseudo-Bombyces only. It differs also im the loca- 
tion of the groups Geometre and Noctue, whose place in 
the order is wholly altered, and in the erection of a 
family into a separate group Drepanule. I hope to 
discuss presently these different points; but I wish at 
TRANS. ENT. SoC. 1871.—PaRT II. (AUGUST.) z 
