36 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [February, 



jected Monographic des Agrionines, which never saw the Hght ; 

 the drawings remain at Cambridge, whither Hagen removed in 

 1867. Materials poured in on de Sclys from all parts of the 

 world, necessitating four Additions to the Synopsis of the Cal- 

 opteryginae and four to that of the Gomphinae ( 1 859-1878). A 

 A Synopsis des Cordnliiies 1871 and two Additions 1873, '78, ap- 

 peared, and after an interval of eleven years the Synopsis des 

 Agrionines (1876, '77) was completed. A brief Synopsis des 

 Aeschnines 1883 and a Revision du Synopsis des Agrionines ist 

 part, 1886, close this period. In 1871 he observed that 



" the publication of the works which I have undertaken has not 



marched with the rapidity I have desired, the delays arising principally 

 from the continual reception of new material, and from the desire which 

 I have to perfect the classitication and to know species already described,, 

 but which I have not been able to examine myself." 



As the improbability of the completion of the Monographs 

 increased, the Synopses became more detailed. The Libellu- 

 linae alone of all the Odonata were never reached. 



The third group are chiefly faunal papers, and while they 

 began as early as 1857, they did not occupy much of his work- 

 ing time, nor were they extensive until 1878, '79, when twa 

 memoirs on the Odonata of New Guinea appeared, followed 

 by others on those of the Philippines 1882, '91, Japan '83, the 

 Palaearctic Diplax '84, Asia Minor and the European fauna '87, 

 Belgium '88, Sumatra '89, the Kirghis steppes '89, and Burma 

 '91. After this date, the papers are shorter and deal with 

 limited groups. 



There is no space here to discuss de Selys' contributions to 

 knowledge of the Odonata. Earl 3^ in his career he avowed 

 that he was not an anatomist. But he has created the classifi- 

 cation, he has described the large majority of the known forms. 

 His collection, in 1896, when seen b}- the writer, was more ex- 

 tensive than any other in the world. His accuracy and careful- 

 ness have never been questioned. Even iti his age, his activity 

 and interest never abated, and he seemed to be fully in touch 

 with the suggestions and improvements devised by the same 

 generation of students as that to which his grandchildren 

 belonged. 



