662 rilOCEEDINaS of the XATIOXAL museum. vol. xxix. 



Ovvino- to the laro-o collections of Carboniferous fossil plants made 

 for the r. S. (leoioo-jcal Survey, chit'liy l»y Mi'. Daxid M'hite, a miin- 

 l)er of other specimens of insects have been secured: these are also 

 included in the present work. 



As continued ilhiess and other causes ha\'e prevented Dr. Samuel II. 

 Scuddcn- from making- a complete study of the Lacoe collection of 

 Paloczoic insects, the writer often expressed the hope that some one 

 might he found to investigate this very interesting- material. l»ut as no 

 one of the American entomologists working in recent forms could be 

 induced to make a stud}- of these fossils, he despaired of ever getting 

 an expert and competent hand to monograph the collection. 



The material thus lay in obscurity for a few 3"ears, when Professor 

 Handlirsch, of the Royal Imperial Museum of Austria, requested the 

 loan of certain of Scudder's type specimens. A rule of the U. S. 

 National Museum forbids the loan of ''types" from Washington, but 

 after the full scope of Doctor Handlirsch's work became known the 

 authorities made an exception in this case to that wise ruling, and 

 asked to l)e allowed to lend all the Paleozoic insect material in the 

 National Museum for incorporation in the Monograph of Paleozoic 

 Insects by Professor Handlirsch. The entire collection was therefore 

 sent to him in the sunmier of 1902. 



Mr. L. E. I^aniels, formerly of Morris, Illinois, now of Laporte, 

 Indiana, was also for many years engaged in making a collection of 

 the forms found in the nodules of Mazon Creek, and this he will 

 eventually present to the National Museum. With a liberality second 

 onh' to that of the late Mr. Lacoe, Mr. Daniels likewise consented to 

 loan his insect material for the work in (pu^stion. The collection 

 includes 10 nodules. 



Hence, the majority of American Paleozoic insects have been studied 

 by Professor Handlirsch. Only one other large collection, that assem- 

 bled b}^ the late Prof. O. C. Marsh, and now the propert}" of Yale 

 University Museum, has not been seen )>v him. This collection, also, 

 would have been sent to Professor Handlirsch had it not been in the 

 hands of Dr. E. H. Sellards. whose studies are not yet completed. 



The paleontolog}^ of America has thus been greatl}^ benetited. The 

 work of Professor Handlirsch indicates plainly that his genera and 

 species are more finely drawn than those of the Americans, but this is 

 due in part to the larger collections at his disposal and the mono- 

 graphic nature of his w^ork. It will be also noted that his arrange- 

 ment of the genera into families, and the lines of descent, are often at 

 variance with those of Doctor Scudder. 



The U. S. National Museum is deeply indebted to Prof. Anton 

 Handlirsch and to the authorities of the Koyal Imperial Museum at 

 Vienna for this \'ery valuable work. 



Charles Schictiert. 



I 



