NOVEMBEB 13, 1908] 



SCIENCE 



693 



These collections contain the fruits of the 

 field labors in Mexico, Central America and 

 adjacent territory, both north and south, of 

 Messrs. A. Agassiz, A. Alfaro, C. F. Baker, 

 H. S. Barber, O. W. Barrett, J. H. Batty, 

 Ur. Berlandier, P. Biolley, F. Blancaneaux, 



A. Boueard, L. Bruner, Burgdorf, H. K. Bur- 

 rison, P. P. Calvert, Merritt Cary, G. 0. 

 Champion, Chaves, L. J. Cole, 0. F. Cook, 

 Collins, Lieutenant Couch, J. C. Crawford, Jr., 

 G. E. Crotch, C. C. Beam, F. Deppe, C. H. 

 Dolby- Tyler, Dubosc, A. Duges, G. Eisen, 

 H. J. Elwes, Festa, A. Forrer, H. Friihstorfer, 

 G. F. Gaumer, F. D. Godman, P. H. Gold- 

 smith, E. F. Griggs, the Hassler Expedition, 

 E. H. Hay, B. Hepburn, Professor A. Heil- 

 prin (Expedition of the Academy of Natural 

 Sciences, Philadelphia), Heyde, J. S. Hine, 

 M. E. Hoag, C. F. Hoege, L. O. Howard, 

 H. N. Howland, E. Janson, M. Kerr, C. H. 

 Lankester, F. L. Lewton, F. E. Lutz, G. F. 

 Mathew, W. M. Maxon, J. F. McClendon, 

 E. E. B. McKenney, McNeill, N. Miller, A. B. 

 Nichols, Palmer, H. Pittier, Eibbe, W. Eichard- 

 son, C. W. Eichmond, S. N. Ehoads, G. 0. 

 Eogers, H. Rogers, O. Salvin, H. de Saussure, 

 W. Schaus, Schild, Schumann, S. C. Schumo, 

 Shakspear, H. H. Smith, F. E. Sumichrast, 

 O. Thieme, W. L. Tower, C. H. Townsend, 

 J. F. Tristan, M. TrujiUo, C. A. TJhde, C. F. 

 Underwood, F. H. Vaslit, W. H. Vogel, C. 

 Werckele, O. S. Westcott, C. H. White, E. B. 

 and L. A. Williamson, H. Wilson and Mrs. E. 



B. Williamson. 



In consonance with the general plan of the 

 Biologia the work deals chiefly with the geo- 

 graphical distribution and taxonomy of these 

 insects in Mexico and Central America, but 

 includes their extra-limital occurrence also. 

 The advance in knowledge which is here re- 

 corded can be seen from a comparison with 

 the three older works which attempted com- 

 pleteness at their respective periods. (1) The 

 " Synopsis of the Neuroptera of North Amer- 

 ica," by Hermann Hagen, published by the 

 Smithsonian Institution in 1861 ; (2) the same 

 author's " Synopsis of the Odonata of Amer- 

 ica " in the Proceedings of the Boston Society 



of Natural History, volume XVIII., 1875, 

 which, as it omits the Lestinse and Agrioninae, 

 must be supplemented for these subfamilies 

 by the sjmopses of Baron Edmond de Selys 

 Longchamps in the Bulletins de I'Academie 

 Boyale des Sciences de Belgique, 1865-7Y; 

 and (3) the " Catalogue of Neuroptera Odon- 

 ata " [of the world], by Mr. W. F. Kirby, 

 London, 1890. This comparison is set forth 

 in the following tables: 



Shmcing the Increase in the Number of Species 

 and of Localities 



TABLE n. 



Shotoing the Increase in the Number of Records 



After deducting the duplications, the total 

 number of species now known for Mexico and 

 Central America as a whole is 293, of genera 

 71. 



Only five of the species recorded by previous 

 authors have not been seen by the writer — 

 Paraphlehia Tiyalina, Argia orichalcea, Her- 

 petogomphus ioa, Herpet. menetriesii and 

 Macromia sp., the last known only in the 



° A " record " for any species is the noting of 

 its occurrence in any one locality, and for each 

 species there are as many records as there are 

 separate localities at which it has been found. 



