2 THE entomologist's RECORD. 



materially increased in the last seventeen years, this work is still 

 absolutely indispensable to the student of this group ; in it, not only 

 are the Orthoptera of Europe (as politically defined) dealt with, but also 

 the species occurring in the neighbouring regions — North Africa, Syria, 

 and Asia Minor. 



In working out the rich collections made by Signor Leonardo Fea, 

 in Burmah, he gave us, in 1893, a complete Ilecmon and com- 

 pendium of our knowledge of the group. This is, perhaps, his 

 most important work, and is still considered to be the basis 

 of the systematic work that has since been done in the Orthop- 

 tera. In fact, in working at any division of the order, the student 

 finds this Berision to be indispensable. An important faunistic 

 work on Orthoptera collected by Professor Kiikenthal, in the Malay 

 Archipelago, appeared last year, and a notable philosophic study, 

 Obserrations on the 6'oZo/(rs o/7«,sY'cts-, was published at Leipsig in German 

 and English the previous year. In it the author classifies the various 

 systems of insect coloration, and, although everyone may not entirely 

 agree with the views expressed therein, no thinker could read a more 

 suggestive work. 



Among the numerous, smaller essays and faunistic papers, one of the 

 most remarkable is Ucbcr Jnjjterti'lische Nac/iaJninin;/ hei den Ovthop- 

 tercn (1883), in which the author put forward his well known theory 

 of hypertely which explains, or rather, gives a name, to the lack of 

 explanation of phenomena which appear to the author to be inexplicable 

 according to the accepted theories of development. 



The Brunner collection of Orthoptera is probably the finest in 

 existence ; it includes among other noteworthy things, the great 

 majority of Stal's types of the Phasmodea. The great Swedish ento- 

 mologist based all his work on this group upon the specimens in 

 Brunner's collection, but Brunner himself defies the student to foUov/ 

 out Stal's work in detail without the possession of his types. The fact 

 that Brunner is now engaged in completing a monograph of the Phas- 

 iitodea is, therefore, the more interesting. His vast collections are 

 contained in a great nmnber of cabinets, and very many species are 

 represented also by examples in spirits. 



In the summer of 1898, the writer of this memoir had the honour 

 of spending the day in the company of the great entomologist, and 

 nothing could have been more interesting than the veteran's remi- 

 niscences of past collecting and past students. He mentioned a strange 

 story of a lapsus memorial'. A system of the Gryllodea published by 

 him in 1874, enlarged and developed with due acknowledgment by de 

 Saussure three years later, was completely forgotten in 1893, for, in his 

 great Eevmon (p. 193), he enthusiastically exclaims, "As to the (iri/ll- 

 odea, the more I study the monograph published by M. de Saussure, 

 the more I am convinced that it is not the system of M. de Saussure, 

 but that of the Creator Himself." After this naive and unstinted 

 praise of his own Vv'ork, as Dr. Krauss has pointed out, he adds three 

 genera and nineteen species to "the system of The Creator." — Malcolm 

 Burr. 



Note on the Coloration of Insects." 



By BKTJNNER VON WATTENWYL, Hon. Fellow Ent. Soc. London. 

 I have devoted many years to the study of the coloration of insects, 

 * Translated by Malcolm Burr. 



