80 INTRODUCTION. 



without appearing to have been acquainted with 

 what had been done by Dalman, likewise had re- 

 course to the structure of the wings in his arrange- 

 ment, as published in the Encyclopedic Methodique, 

 and Lepidoptera of France. In the latter work, 

 the diurnal series is classified with reference to the 

 appearance of the discoidal cell in the inferior 

 wings ; and by adopting this excellent character, he 

 has, in most instances, greatly improved on La- 

 treille's method. 



In 1776, an arrangement was proposed which 

 attracted little attention at the time, but which has 

 since risen to considerable distinction. It is that 

 exhibited in the Systematic Catalogue of the Lepi- 

 doptera found in the neighbourhood of Vienna, 

 by MM. Denis and Schiffermuller. This original 

 and highly valuable system is entirely founded on 

 the appearance of the caterpillars. It is singular 

 that characters almost exclusively drawn from that 

 state, should confirm the classifications founded 

 on characters afforded by the imago or complete 

 insect. But to such a degree does this coinci- 

 dence obtain, that almost all the families proposed 

 by the Austrian naturalists have been adopted as 

 genera by those who were guided by other prin- 

 ciples. This method remained for a long time al- 

 most unknown to the naturalists of this country, 

 and even on the continent its excellence seems to 

 have been but inadequately appreciated, except 

 among the Germans. The only authors that have 

 acted upon it are Ochsenheimer, and his continuator 



