354 [August, 



SYNOPSIS OF THE BRITISH ORTHOPTERA. 

 BY ELAND SHAW, F.E.S. 



Though. I have delayed for a long time the publication of this 

 paper, in order that I might increase my own knowledge of the British 

 Orthoptera and their distribution, I now find that this knowledge is 

 but very imperfect and scanty, and must claim the indulgence of 

 entomologists for the many errors which will no doubt be found. 



Several entomological friends have for some time past urged me 

 to publish some such paper, as they assured me that some ready means 

 of identifying the species would induce many collectors to interest 

 themselves in this much neglected Order. With this object, full 

 analytical tables of the genera and species have been given, and 

 though the characters used may not in all cases be sufficient to dis- 

 tinguish British from allied European genera and species, their sim- 

 plification will, I hope, make the tables more useful to students of the 

 British forms. The last systematic work in English of any importance 

 is in Stephens' Illustr. Brit. Ent , Mandib., vi, pp. 3—48 ; this was 

 published more than fifty years ago (1835), and in many cases the 

 correct descriptions copied from the works of Charpentier or other 

 continental authors seem to have been applied to British specimens of 

 other genera and species. 



Eischer's " Orthoptera Europsea," Leipzig, 1853, will be found 

 a most useful and reliable work, and amongst its plates are illus- 

 trations of all the British species ; but the book which will be of 

 the greatest value to modern Orthopterists is Brunner von Wattenwyl's 

 " Prodromus der europaischen Orthopteren," Leipzig, 1882. I have 

 taken this as my guide, and have largely borrowed from it in drawing 

 up the analytical tables. It is written in German, with the tabular 

 and descriptive parts in Latin ; but those who prefer Erench will find 

 useful Einot's " Les Orthopteres de la France," Paris, 1883, which is 

 compiled from Brunner's Prodromus. 



Under the different Families will be found such details of structure 

 as are necessary. The nomenclature and classification is, with certain 

 modifications, that of the modern continental authors. 



It gives me great pleasure to acknowledge the kindness of those 

 who have given me specimens from many different localities, particularly 

 that of Messrs. McLachlan, Porritt, Saunders, and Winston. 



