Fahrician Types of Phryganida. Qbl 



history, published before a certain date, should be burned. No 

 doubt this would save an immense amount of what, to most of 

 us, is uncongenial labour ; but while it would be unjust to those 

 naturalists whose writings are the foundation of all our know- 

 ledge, is it not also probable that some naturahst of the next 

 century may include, in a similar wish, those modern works that 

 we are wont to consider as masterpieces of research ? My own 

 view is, that one law, and one only, can exist as regards nomen- 

 clature in natural science — that of priority, and that it is the duty 

 of all describers of new species to hold this law sacred. 



The foregoing remarks may be considered digressive, but as 

 the subject-matter of these notes is intimately connected with the 

 question of nomenclature, I thought it a fitting opportunity for 

 stating my opinion on a question that has been lately so promi- 

 nently before this Society. 



The descriptions of the three typical species of Phryganidce in 

 the Banksian collection were first published in 1781 in the "Spe- 

 cies Insectorum," and were re-produced in the later works of 

 Fabricius, viz., the " Mantissa Insectorum" and " Entomologia 

 Systematica." The insects were called Phryganea irrorata, P. sig- 

 nata and P. notata, on each of which I will make a few remarks : — 



Phryganea irrorata, Fabr. Spec. Insect, i. p. 389, 9 ; Mantiss. 

 Insect, i. p. 245, 10 ; Ent. Syst. ii. p. 77, 11. 



" P. alis fusco griseis : maculis atomisque niveis numerosis. 



" Habitat in America meridionali Mus. Dom. Banks. 



" Magnitudo P. rhombicce. Caput nigrum antennis testaceis. 

 Thorax niger macula dorsali testacea. Alae anticae apice 

 subascendentes, cinereo ftiscse maculis plurimis rhomboida- 

 libus atomisque niveis. Pedes testacei." 



The type of this species has lost the intermediate legs and the 

 abdomen, but otherwise is in tolerable condition. It is the same 

 as Limncphilus intercisus, Walker, Brit. Mus. Cat. Neurop. pt. 1, 

 p. 30, 41. The spurs of this insect are arranged 1, 2, 2, and from 

 this cause it has been placed in a sub-genus (without name) of 

 Enoicyla, Rambur, by Dr. Hagen in the " Neuroptera of North 

 America," p. 268, 2. The description of Fabricius applies very 

 well, and the words " alse anticae subascendentes" give a good 

 idea of the shape of the anterior wings, which have much the 

 same form as in that sub-genus of Limnephilus to which the names 

 of Glyphotcelius and Glyphidolaulius have been given. 



Dr. Hagen, in the work before mentioned, erroneously gives 



