Kirby — Names proposed for Genera of Orthoptera. 557 



usually without types. These I only recognize when taken up by 

 subsequent authors in a Latin form. 



The chief confusion which has arisen in the Orthoptera is in 

 the genus Gryllus, which Linne divided into five sub-genera — 

 Acrida, Bulla, Acheta, Tettigonia, and Locusta. Bulla, having 

 been subsequently employed by Linne himself to designate a 

 genus of Mollusca, soon dropped out of use ; but the Fabrician 

 names for the various sub-genera are as follows : — Truxalis 

 (Acrida), Aerydium (Bulla, p.), Acheta (Acheta), Locusta (Tet- 

 tigonia), &xi(i Gryllus (Locusta). 



It is true that Fabricius borrowed hisuseof Aerydium an&Locusta 

 from GeofProy ; but not satisfied with this, he adopted Tettigonia as 

 the name of a genus of Hemiptera LTomoptera. Since his time, the 

 confusion has greatly increased ; for instance, the name Acrida 

 was used by Curtis for one of the Linnean types of Tettigonia, 

 and the migratory Locusts have generally been called Aerydium 

 or Gryllus almost indiscriminately, while Acheta and Gryllus have 

 been used with equal uncertainty for the Crickets. 



I have, therefore, examined analytically, after the method of 

 Scudder, the use of all the genera proposed for Orthoptera pre- 

 vious to 1840, quoting later works occasionally when necessary to 

 fix the use of a name ; and although I have no right to assume 

 that my results will be undisputed, they will nevertheless enable 

 anyone to form a clear idea of the merits of each particular case. 



The order of the genera is taken in the Forficulida? from 

 Serville ; in the Mantidce from De Saussure's synopsis in the 

 " Memoires de la Soc. Phys. de Greneve," vol. xxi. ; in the 

 Phasmidce from Westwood's " British Museum Catalogue ; " and in 

 the other families from Walker's " British Museum Catalogues of 

 Blattidce and Dermaptera Sattatoria." I have thought it better to 

 avoid the use of family names, and therefore distinguish the main 

 groups only by those of the typical genera. Synonyms are placed 

 in brackets, and printed in italics, under the genera to which they 

 belong. 



The genera of Forficulidce have already been analyzed by 

 Scudder in the "Proceedings of the Boston Society of Natural 

 History," vol. xviii., but are included here to complete the 

 subject. 



All generic names preoccupied in zoology, or which I have 



2 T 2 



