430 MR. LUBBOCK ON THE THYSANURA. 



of the group; but while there is so much diflference of opinion on the subject, we 

 mi^ht reasonably have supposed that they would have been carefully studied by our 

 naturalists. Suspected, however, of having passed the Rubicon of Entomology, and of 

 not being true and proper Insects, they have been not only neglected, but absolutely 

 ignored by our entomologists; so that, to my amazement, I found that (excepting a 

 very brief notice of FetroMus maritimus, by Dr. Dickie *) Dr. Leach's original description 

 of that species f, and Mr. Templeton's % " description of the Irish species of Thysanura," 

 with an introduction by Mr. Westwood, are the only British contributions to the natural 

 history of this group §. We have thus not added a single fact to the anatomical and 

 other details given by Continental observers, and we have at this moment only sixteen 

 Irish and actually onhj one English species recorded. When it is considered that these 

 animals are easily preserved, are in many cases prettily coloured, are numerous in winter, 

 when the field-naturalist is less distracted by the number of objects than at other times 

 of the year, and, finally, that they are so common that it is impossible to pick up a hand- 

 ful of dead leaves, or turn over an old log of wood, without disturbing many of them, I 

 think that every one must be astonished at the neglect they have experienced ; and I hope 

 I need make no further apology for calling the attention of the Society to this subject. 



The Thysanura have generally been divided into two families : — the Lepismidse, cha- 

 racterized principally by the presence of many-jointed appendages at the posterior end of 

 the abdomen ; and the Podurida?, which have on the under side of the abdomen a flexible 

 spring, by means of which they can jump to a considerable distance. 



M. Nicolet proposes to divide the Podurida^ into three tribes,— the " Smynthurelles," in 

 which the body is more or less globular ; the " Podurelles," in which it is linear, and 

 composed of eight or nine segments ; and the " Lipurelles," in which the springer is 

 absent or rudimentary. These three groups seem to me to constitute three well-marked 

 families, which would naturally bear the names Smynthuridse, Poduridae, and Lipuridae. 

 Por the present, however, I confine my remarks to the Smynthuridse, and must defer 

 the consideration not only of the natural position of the Thysanura in the animal king- 

 dom, but also of its division into families, until I shall have had time and opportunities 

 to make a thorough examination of the whole group. 



SMYNTHURID^. 



The characters attributed by M. Nicolet to his " Smynthurelles " are as follows :— 

 Body globular or ovoid. Thorax and abdomen forming one mass. Head vertical or 

 inclined. Antennae of four or eight segments ; elbowed at the middle. Sixteen eyes, 

 eight on each side, situated on a black patch, a little behind the antennae, and on the top 

 of the head. Legs long and slender. Saltatory appendages with a supplementary 

 segment. 



* Brit. Assoc. Report, 1855. f Zool. Misc. vol. iii. % Trans. Ent. See. vol. i. 



§ Since the above was written, Mr. Westwood has kindly called my attention to Samouelle's ' Entomologist's Useful 

 Compendium' (1819). In this volume (pp. 140, 141) five species are recorded, viz. Lepisma saccharina, Forbicina 

 polypoda, Petrohius maritimus, Podura phmibea, and Smynthurus fuscus. 



