3Ir. James Thomson's Catalogue of Lucanidce. 443 



perfect stranger to me, kindly alludes in his late publication to 

 my proposed general catalogue of the Lucanidce, and maintains, 

 besides, with an acknowledgment, my manuscript names to two of 

 his recently described new species. Mr. Thomson, on the con- 

 trary, possessing the same information, even to a greater extent, 

 neither alludes to the one nor acknowledges the other, but appro- 

 priates my species, as well as the names, for several of his new 

 descriptions, having obtained the same from the collection of 

 Count Mniszech, who ticketed his specimens upon my authority 

 from manuscript descriptions (intended for early publication) 

 which I had the pleasure of showing him during his recent visit 

 to our metropolis. 



Of these several new species, I had prepared descriptions for the 

 Society's Transactions, some of which have already been antici- 

 pated by the appearance of Mr. Thomson's work. One, however, 

 only described in the Catalogue is to be found in my recent Paper, 

 viz., Odontolabis Stevens'ii ; a duplicate publication of this species, 

 with a figure, will also appear in the Transactions of the Society. 



I have not made the foregoing remarks for the purpose of ex- 

 pressing the slightest anxiety with reference to any priority of 

 publication, it certainly being very unimportant to science in 

 general, so long as new and interesting species are described, 

 whether A. or B. describes them ; but it is important to those 

 connected with science that there should exist a rigid system of 

 mutual courteous consideration, with an entire absence of petty 

 scientific jealousy. 



I will now proceed to make some brief remarks with reference 

 to the actual catalogue and the newly created genera, as also to 

 allude to some slight inadvertencies in respect to the nomenclature 

 of certain species. 



Against the general arrangement I have nothing to object ; it is 

 evidently taken from that used in Count Mniszech's magnificent 

 collection ; it corresponds also with my own, and is based princi- 

 pally upon Professor Lacordaire's system (vid. Genera des Cole- 

 opteres) ; but the want of references as to description and syno- 

 nymy of the various species renders it almost useless. It must 

 be considered as the mere catalogue of a tolerably large collection, 

 and not a general scientific arrangement of all the species that 

 have hitherto been described, with their synonymy and reference 

 to descriptions. To carry out such a catalogue much patience, 

 opportunity, and possession of material is essentially required, 

 and even then probably numerous errors will occur. 



