MONOGRAPHIA .EGERIARUM ANGLI/^. 67 



what is valuable, — to invent, where there exist previously no 

 intelligible combinations. A writer, who fears to innovate 

 where he finds innovation necessary, fails in his duty to the 

 public, as much as he, who, for the temporary fame it may 

 bestow, proposes genera and species, which, before the dis- 

 criminating eye of science, fall instantly to the ground. 



The adoption of natural orders, or rather the formation of 

 natural orders, out of the genera or sub-genera of Linnaeus, 

 was, when I ventured to propose it but a few weeks since, 

 considered visionary and problematical : now, I am happy to 

 find, that feeling is fast dying away, and the necessity for some 

 such division is rapidly becoming obvious to all. 



The division of natural orders into natural families, never 

 exceeding seven in number, is the next step : and here let me 

 remark, that occasional deficiency in the number seven is no 

 objection ; while the detection of a greater number of fami- 

 lies, in a supposed natural order, will at once prove that that 

 order is not established on sound characters. The natural 

 order Cossi, of which the larva and pupa have been already 

 described,'' contains but four families, at present known as 

 inhabitants of this country. A fifth is European, and two 

 others, I have good reason to believe, exist in Extra-European 

 climates ; but I feel unwilling to hazard any opinion about 

 these at present. I shall not, therefore, even suggest names 

 for them ; knowing that what is done prematurely has, most 

 commonly, to be done twice. 



Cliaracteres Familiarum. 

 Familia I. Adhuc ignota. 



1 1. Palpi prominentes, triarticulati : antlia thorace 

 longior: antennae plerunique thorace lon- 

 giores, post medium crassiores: abdomen 

 plerumque barbatum : alae hyalinae . . . ^geriid.e, Steph. 

 III. Palpi minus prominentes, triarticulati : antlia 

 niilla : antennae thorace breviores, a basi ad 

 apicem gradatim attenuatae : abdomen bar- 

 batum : alae opacae Stygiid^, Newm. 



IV. Palpi nulli: antlia nulla: antennae brevis- 

 simse, setaceae : abdomen baud barbatum : 

 alae anticae opacae, posticae semi-hyalinae . Hepialid.e. Steph. 

 V. Adhuc ignota. 



* Sphinx Vespiformis, p. 41. 



