﻿482 
  PROCEEDINGS 
  OF 
  THE 
  NATIONAL 
  MUSEUM. 
  vol. 
  It. 
  

  

  species 
  have 
  been 
  placed 
  in 
  wrong 
  genera, 
  and 
  there 
  many 
  of 
  them 
  

   remain 
  at 
  the 
  present 
  writing. 
  Until 
  the 
  type 
  is 
  studied, 
  or 
  the 
  

   species 
  rediscovered, 
  the 
  generic 
  position 
  of 
  many 
  species 
  must 
  be 
  

   considered 
  in 
  doubt. 
  I 
  have 
  studied 
  this 
  subject 
  with 
  considerable 
  

   thorouglmess 
  and 
  as 
  a 
  result 
  have 
  assigned 
  each 
  of 
  these 
  faulty 
  species 
  

   to 
  its 
  probable 
  true 
  generic 
  position, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  in 
  this 
  genus 
  that 
  the 
  

   species 
  will 
  be 
  considered. 
  Future 
  research 
  will 
  undoubtedly 
  prove 
  

   that 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  species 
  were 
  wrongly 
  assigned, 
  and 
  the 
  purpose 
  of 
  

   this 
  introduction 
  is 
  to 
  let 
  the 
  reader 
  know 
  of 
  the 
  difficulties 
  in 
  the 
  way. 
  

   Many 
  of 
  the 
  keys 
  are 
  based 
  entirely 
  or 
  in 
  part 
  upon 
  the 
  original 
  

   descriptions, 
  and 
  for 
  that 
  reason 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  necessary 
  to 
  use 
  super- 
  

   ficial 
  characters 
  for 
  the 
  mam 
  subdivisions, 
  such 
  as 
  ''wings 
  spotted," 
  

   "wings 
  not 
  spotted," 
  etc. 
  This 
  is 
  of 
  course 
  unsatisfactory, 
  but 
  con- 
  

   venient 
  and, 
  under 
  the 
  circumstances, 
  the 
  only 
  possible 
  course. 
  

  

  As 
  an 
  example 
  of 
  the 
  manner 
  in 
  which 
  species 
  are 
  referred 
  to 
  the 
  

   wrong 
  genera, 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  the 
  genus 
  Limnohia 
  is 
  cited. 
  This 
  genus, 
  

   erected 
  by 
  Meigen 
  in 
  1803, 
  has 
  served 
  as 
  a 
  storehouse, 
  or 
  junk 
  heap, 
  

   for 
  species 
  which 
  are 
  in 
  reality 
  referable 
  to 
  almost 
  every 
  genus 
  of 
  the 
  

   Limnobinse. 
  The 
  numerous 
  species 
  of 
  Fabricius 
  and 
  Wiedemann 
  

   were 
  described 
  before 
  the 
  old 
  genus 
  Limnohia 
  was 
  split 
  up. 
  Mac- 
  

   quart 
  included 
  everytliing 
  in 
  Limnohia 
  that 
  possessed 
  but 
  two 
  

   branches 
  to 
  the 
  radial 
  sector. 
  I^hilippi 
  and 
  Gay 
  described 
  a 
  large 
  

   number 
  of 
  species 
  of 
  what 
  seem 
  to 
  be 
  Furcomyia, 
  as 
  Limnohia. 
  The 
  

   notorious 
  work 
  of 
  Francis 
  Walker 
  needs 
  no 
  comment 
  here, 
  most 
  of 
  

   his 
  descriptions 
  being 
  absolutely 
  unrecognizable 
  and 
  the 
  types 
  of 
  

   many 
  no 
  longer 
  in 
  existence, 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  names 
  are 
  herein 
  consid- 
  

   ered 
  as 
  unrecognizable 
  species 
  and 
  dropped 
  from 
  consideration. 
  

  

  After 
  this 
  discussion 
  of 
  the 
  difficulties 
  encountered 
  because 
  of 
  the 
  

   work 
  of 
  pioneer 
  students 
  like 
  Fabricius 
  and 
  Woidemann, 
  or 
  the 
  mis- 
  

   erably 
  poor 
  work 
  of 
  Walker, 
  it 
  is 
  a 
  pleasure 
  to 
  speak 
  of 
  the 
  really 
  

   monumental 
  labors 
  of 
  Osten 
  Sacken, 
  who, 
  having 
  seen 
  the 
  types 
  of 
  

   many 
  of 
  the 
  early 
  writers, 
  definitely 
  and 
  finally 
  gave 
  them 
  a 
  true 
  

   generic 
  position. 
  Of 
  the 
  scores 
  of 
  species 
  of 
  New 
  World 
  crane-flies 
  

   described 
  by 
  Osten 
  Sacken 
  and 
  his 
  fellow 
  workers, 
  Loew 
  and 
  Schiner, 
  

   not 
  one 
  can 
  be 
  called 
  "unrecognizable" 
  from 
  their 
  descriptions. 
  

   Osten 
  Sacken 
  did 
  not 
  describe 
  an 
  extraordinary 
  number 
  of 
  new 
  

   species, 
  but 
  whatever 
  work 
  he 
  did 
  was 
  done 
  tlioroughly 
  and 
  accu- 
  

   rately. 
  The 
  "Father 
  of 
  American 
  Dipterology" 
  now 
  rests 
  from 
  his 
  

   labors, 
  having 
  won 
  the 
  honor, 
  respect, 
  and 
  the 
  highest 
  esteem 
  of 
  

   every 
  student 
  of 
  his 
  subject. 
  

  

  In 
  studying 
  the 
  Neotropical 
  Tipulidse 
  the 
  student 
  is 
  struck 
  by 
  the 
  

   abundance 
  of 
  certain 
  genera 
  and 
  tribes, 
  and 
  the 
  total 
  absence 
  of 
  

   others. 
  Of 
  the 
  hundreds 
  of 
  specimens 
  examined 
  by 
  the 
  writer 
  not 
  a 
  

   single 
  species 
  of 
  the 
  Cylindrotominse 
  or 
  Pedicini 
  was 
  encountered. 
  

   Limnobini 
  are 
  abundant 
  {Geranomyia, 
  Furcomyia, 
  and 
  RMpidia); 
  

  

  