22 BULLETIN 45, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



Ihave been described from Asia, Africa, ami Australia; only a few 

 isolated descriptions of species, scattered here and there throujjh the 

 literature, could be found; and undoubtedly nniny remarkable and 

 interestinjj forms will be discovered in the rich insect faunas ot those 

 countries. 



rLASSIFIf'ATION. 



The name of the family, Proctotrjpidse, is derive«l from the jrenns 

 Proctotrupcs or Proctotrypes, established by Lat reille in his Pn'cis des 

 Caracteres G^^m'-riques des Insectes, jmblished in 171U),and there placed 

 with the Ichneumoniche. It is derived from two (rreek words -/jwxto-, 

 the anus, + ziwzdw, bore, pierce thnmph, in allusiim to the structure 

 of the ovipositor, and 1 here follow late auth<>rities in s])ellin}; the word 

 Proctotrypes, although as a rule I strongly oi)pose changing a well- 

 established zoiilogical name. 



From 179<» down to 1839 additional genera, belonging to this family, 

 wer3 established by Latreille, Dalman, King, Jurine, Spinola, Nees, 

 Westwood, Walker, Haliday, and others, and various groups or fam- 

 ilies were proposed for their reception, according to the views of the 

 different authors, the affinities of the genera not being fully under- 

 stood. Some of the genera were classed with the Cynij)idje, Scoliidie, 

 Mutillidje, Chalcidida', or Jiraconidic, or were considered to be entitled 

 to fannly rank, and the greatest confusion existed as to their affinities 

 asd proper positicm. 



An excellent historical sketch of the development of the family has 

 been given by Dr. Arnold Forster, in h's Hymenopterologische Studien, 

 Heft II, and it will suffice here to call attention only to the two authors 

 who wrote just previous to his work. To them we are mainly indebted 

 for a proper conception of the family, as now understood, as well as for 

 bringing order out of the chaos that existed up to their time. I also 

 call attention to a few authors who wrote subsequent to the appear- 

 ance of Forster's work. 



In 1839 Haliday, in his " Hymenopterorum Synopsis," proi)erly de- 

 fined some of the groups as now understood, although he considered 

 them to be of family rank, placing some among the Teiebrantia and 

 some among the Aculeata. 



In order to illustrate his method, I give below such portions of his 

 scheme of arrangement as refer to them : 



.< •: Suborder 2. — Petioliventres. 



, . Stirps 3. — Terebellifera. 



ee. Troclianters exarticulati. Terebra abdominis apice exerenda per foramen apicale 

 vel rimam transversam, ant exserta. Antennae articnlis ad sum- 

 mum 15. Ala5 disco ferme exareolatse, radio et cabito distantibus 

 ant obsoletis. 



