9f>2 PROCEEDINGS OF IHE THIRD EXTOIIOLOGIC AL MEETING 



What is required, in my opinion, is a thorough revision and abstract- 

 ing of all useful information which has been published to date on all 

 Indian Insects, the term " Indian " including the whole of the Indian 

 Empire from Baluchistan to Madras and including Burma, Ceylon, 

 Andamans and Nicobars, Maldives and Laccadives, and such adjacent 

 territories as Kashmir, Bhutan, Tibet and Yunnan, i.e., entomogeo- 

 graphical India. This information would best take the form of a 

 General Catalogue of Indian Insects, issued in parts which might be 

 Aevoted to groups {e.g., Isoptera, Odonata) or families {e.g., Gelechiadae). 

 Once issued this could easily be kept u]) to date, by the insertion of 

 addenda and corrigenda as new information became available, either 

 the whole catalogue being kept up to date at one Entomological Institute, 

 or different Institutes being responsible for special sections. It 

 would probably facilitate matters if this Institute (or Institutes) kept 

 their corrected up-to-date catalogue(s) in the form of card catalogues, 

 additional "information being -issued either in the form of annual 

 supplements or of revised sections of the General Catalogue as 

 requisite. 



What information should such a General Catalogue contain ? The 

 ideal catalogue would contain a general sketch and diagnosis of the 

 group treated of, with lists of literature and general remarks on distri- 

 bution, habits and life-histories ; if the group treated of were an Order, 

 it should contain keys to the Families contained in it (if more than one) 

 and under each Family there should be a key to the Genera, which 

 would follow in systematic order ; under each Genus would be given 

 references to the original description and any subsequent redescrip- 

 tions, and similarly with synonyms, the type-species of each generic 

 name being indicated ; the species contained in each genus would follow 

 in systematic order, under each species being quoted the full reference 

 to the original description and any subsequent re-descriptions, and 

 similarly with synonyms and varietal names, then would follow refer- 

 ences to occiurence, life-histories, habits, foodplants or any other relevant 

 information, a brief note being given in square brackets after each 

 reference regarding the information contained in it ; and in a separate 

 column against each species would be given its distribution, the infor- 

 mation given under this heading being connected with the references 

 under the specific name by small arable numerals, so that it could be 

 seen exactly what was the authority for the distribution given. 



With the help of such a Catalogue, the student should be able, by 

 means of the keys, to run any unknown insect (provided of course, that 

 it was a described species) down to a genus and could then compare 

 it with the published descriptions of a comparatively few species. Such 



