of the Genera of the Aranex. 55 
twenty or thirty species originally, has been split up and 
subdivided again and again by consecutive authors. A 
further element of difficulty of course appears when the 
authors breaking up an original genus have not correctly 
identified the species withdrawn. 
Literature. 
In preparing this revision of the genera of the Aranee all 
the pre-Latreillean literature, from Clerck in 1757 and 
onwards, has been carefully examined, in case any genera 
may have been established which might have escaped the 
researches of Dr. T. Thorell and others. 
C. Clerck was the first to apply the Linnean binomial 
system systematically in Arachnology ; and although his work 
‘ Aranei Suecici’ was published the year before Linneus’s 
10th edition of the ‘Systema,’ it is generally regarded as 
valid, since he was well acquainted with Linnzus, attended 
his lectures, and adopted his system. This author, however, 
made use of only one generic name, Araneus, and all his 
species are included under this title. 
Neither Linneus, Fabricius, Geoffroy, De Geer, nor Meyer 
made any alteration in this respect; and it was not until 
1802 that Latreille, in bis Hist. Nat. des Fourmis, p. 345, 
quoted two genera, Mygale and Aranea. The original genus 
Araneus, however, was not broken up by Latreille until L804, 
in Nouv. Dict. d’Hist. Nat. xxiv. ; and it is with this work 
that the whole question of generic names and the selection of 
types must naturally begin. 
Walckenaer published his ‘ Faune Parisienne, Insectes,’ 
tom. 1., Paris, in 1802, but includes all his species under 
Aranea., 
This first instalment of revisional notes includes, with the 
exception of Araneus, only the generic names published from 
1802-1804. In 1810 Latreille definitely selected types for a 
reat many of his own genera and for some of Walckenaer’s ; 
and it will be useful to give a brief notice of the works 
published by both Latreille and Walckenaer between those 
dates, which might have any possible weight in the settle- 
ment of the question of names and types. 
1802. P. A. Larre1tte.—Hist. Nat. des Fourmis: p. 345, G. i. My- 
gale, including A. avicularia, cementaria, and Sauvagest ; 
p. 347, G. ii. Aranea, followed by a number of species, but 
without in any way limiting the genus as he afterwards does 
in 1804. 
