32 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



L. AiGNER notices {I. c. 331) some gynandromorphs lately captured 

 near Budapest : — (1) Pieris daplidice, L., var. belUdice, 0. Right <? , 

 left ? , abdomen ? . (2) Colias hyale, L. Right S' , left ? , abdomen ^ . 

 (3) LycfBna bellargus, Rott. Right 3' , left $ . 



G. W. K. 



OBITUARY. 



Le Baron Michel-Edmond de Selys-Longchamps. — Almost simul- 

 taneously with the century has ended a career which lacked in length 

 but twelve years of the century itself — that of the veteran Belgian 

 entomologist, the Baron Michel-Edmond de Selys-Longchamps. 

 Though born in Paris (May 25th, 1813), Liege had long been his 

 home, and in connection with the district in which he lived the Baron 

 held from time to time most important positions politically. His 

 worth as a man of science was attested by his election on May 7th, 

 1841, as correspundant of the Academic Royale de Belgique. He 

 became a member of the same in December, 1846, and was chosen 

 Directeur de la Olasse de Sciences in 1854 and in 1879. Amongst 

 other recognitions of his work was liis election as honorary fellow of 

 the Entomological Society of London in 1871. 



De Selys' name will always be associated with his labours in 

 connection with the Odouata (dragonflies) as an authority on which 

 order he has long been in the foremost rank. At the beginning of 

 the century these insects were almost utterly neglected, and what little 

 knowledge of them existed was in great confusion. The work of 

 De Selys, however, ably assisted as it has been by that of Mr. R. 

 McLachlan, Dr. H. A. Hagen, and a few others, has now placed this 

 branch of entomology in such a position that those who take it up 

 have a solid foundation on which to build. 



There remain to attest De Selys' great activity over two hundred 

 and fifty works and articles of greater or less length and importance, 

 most of them having been published by the Belgian Academy and 

 other learned societies. They cover a wide range of subjects ; but 

 the bulk of them treat of the Odonata. In 1840 appeared the ' Mono- 

 graphie des Libellulidees d'Europe,' this being the same year in which 

 T. de Charpentier's ' Libellulinae Europseae ' saw the light. The latter, 

 an edition de luxe with forty-eight well-coloured plates, savours of the 

 old school, however, while the work of De Selys is of the new. The 

 ' Mouographie ' was followed ten years later by a supplement, which 

 holds at least equal importance with the original work — the ' Revue 

 des Odonates ou Libellules d'Europe'; in this De Selys had Dr. Hagen 

 as collaborator. The long list of his writings contains detailed synopses 

 and monographs of several of the subfamilies of the dragonflies of the 

 world, as well as lists and monographs of these insects for numerous 

 restricted areas — all being contributions of the first importance to our 

 knowledge of the Odonata. 



With the death of the venerable Baron on Tuesday, December 11th, 

 1900, at the ripe age of 87, the world of entomology is the poorer by 

 the loss of a prolific and careful writer, and a most genial corre- 

 spondent. — W. J. L. 



