99 



Mgliest value, and would endeavour to maintain it wherever possible. He thought, 

 however, a slight modification of the law was requisite in the case of the publication 

 of detached species brought out with the view of anticipating an author who was 

 known to be engaged in working au entire Monograph of the group to which the spe- 

 cies belonged. The time required for composing and publishing Monographs was 

 often very considerable, and much delay occurred, over which the monographer had 

 no control : in such cases Prof. W. thought that courtesy to the monographer should 

 give him precedence over the authors of at least such descriptions of detached species 

 of the group as appeared during the year in which the Monograph should be pub- 

 lished. 



The question had been raised (chiefly with reference to the Stepheusian descrip- 

 tions) whether the examination of the specimens assumed to be the types from which 

 an original description was drawn, did not confer a more precise character upon an 

 insufficient description. Prof. W, thought that this ought not to be the case. If a 

 description (drawn up with the utmost skill of the describer) be so loose that a subse- 

 quent writer cannot reasonably suppose that au insect before him is the subject of the 

 description of the previous writer, and then should, bon&fide, publish a good descrip- 

 tion of it, not having the ordinary means of examining the original types, be con- 

 sidered that the name published with the second good description ought to be main- 

 tained. If, however, a subsequent writer should have the means of examining the 

 original types, and should find ihe original description defective, it is his duty, in the 

 interest of Science, to clear up the doubts which might exist, by describing more fully 

 the species, using of course the old specific name. 



Papers read. 

 The following papers were read : — " Descriptions of several new and rare Lucanoid 

 Coleoplera," by Major F. J. Sidney Parry, F.L.S. ; and " Descriptions of new Easl- 

 Asiatic Species of Haliplidss and Hydmporidas," by the Rev. Hamlet Clark, M.A., 



F.L.S. 



November 3, 1862. 

 Fkedekick Smith, Esq., President, in the chair. 



Donations. 



The following donations were announced, and thanks ordered to be given to the 

 respective donors : — ' Sitzungsberichte der Konigl. bayer. Akademie der Wissenschaf- 

 ten zu Miinchen,' 1862, I. Heft. 2, 3 ; presented by the Academy. ' The Canadian 

 Naturalist,' Vol. vii. No. 4 ; by the Natural-History Society of Montreal. 'A Catalogue 

 of the Lepidoptera of Devon and Cornwall,' Part 1 ; by the Author, J. J. Reading, 

 M.E.S. ' The Zoologist' for November ; by the Editor. 'The Journal of the Society 

 of Arts ' for October ; by the Society. ' The Athenaeum ' for October ; by the Editor. 

 ' The Intellectual Observer,' No. 10; by the Publishers, Messrs. Groombridge and Sons. 



