MADEIRA AND THE CANAllY ISLANDS. 153 



Probably the earliest TVorJc that contains any reference to Neu- 

 roptera is the Baron Bory de St. Vincent's 'Essai sur les 

 Isles Fortunees et I'antique Atlautidc,' published at Paris iu 

 "An XL" of the Eevolution (=1803). At p. 369 we find refer- 

 ences to 6 species of Neuroptera, including 4 Dragonflies, 1 " He- 

 merobe," and 1 Myrmeleon, all of which are extremely vague ; 

 all were possibly from Tenerifte. 



Between 1836 and 1844 inclusive appeared tlie ponderous 

 * Histoire Naturelle des lies Canaries,' by MM. P. Barker- Webb 

 et Sabin Berthelot, tlie Neuropterous portion of which was worked 

 out by Brulle, and occupies pp. 82, 83 of vol. ii. pt. 2. In it 13 

 species are noticed, including 5 Dragonflies, 4 Ant-lions, 4 Lacc- 

 wing flies, several species being described as new ; and with only 

 one or two exceptions this has remained our sole guide to a know- 

 ledge of this portion of the insect productions of the islands. No 

 indications of special islands are given. Webb and Berthelot's 

 work has not escaped severe criticism : not the least pungent is that 

 given by Wollaston in his ' Coleoptera Atlantidum,' 1865, intro- 

 ductory remarks pp. xx-xxii, who goes so far as to doubt whether 

 some of the insects indicated may not have been really from 

 Madeira. In some respects it is fortunate that the greater part of 

 the types exist in the museum attached to the Jardin des Plantes 

 at Paris ; and I am under great obligations to Professor Emile 

 Blanchard for having allowed me to examine, at home, the types 

 of Neuroptera, including most of the species indicated. 



In Burmeister's ' Handbuch der Eutomologie,' vol. ii. pt. 2, 

 p. 857 (1839), LilelJula chrysostigma is described from Tenerifie. 



In the Neuropterous portion of the ' Eeise der Novara,' 18U5, 

 Brauer incidentally notices Anax Parthenope as occurring iu 

 Tenerifte (it is presumed there is no"coirfiIsion with A. formosus, 

 already recorded by Brulle from the islands, or A. mauricianus). 

 Another ^Eschnide, Cyrtosoma epTiijypigeriiin, is mentioned by 

 Hagen in ' Verhandl. z.-b. Gresellsch. Wieu,' vol. xvii. p. 31, as 

 having been taken at sea ofi"the Canaries. 



Mr. Eaton's brief visit to the islands in 1880 occurred between 

 the 6th and the 29th December : from the 6th to 12th he \\ as in 

 Grand Canary, from the 14th to 28th iu Tenerifte; and a single daj-- 

 (the 29th) was devoted to the island of Palma (resulting iu the dis- 

 covery of an apparently peculiar species of Chrysoj)a). During 

 this short stay he collected 18 species, included in which are several 

 new forms ; and the two large eastern islands, Lauzarole and 



Llira". JOUBN.— ZOOLOGY, VOL. XTI. 11 



