376 G. R. Osten Sacken: On Prof. Brauers paper: 



paper (pag. 5) as being from the Auckland Islands. A coiifused re- 

 collection of this fact may have induced Dr. Braiiei' to stafe exactly 

 the reverse about a species to which his statement has no application '). 



I elose with some general remarks on the construction of Dr. B.'s 

 dichotomic tables. 



We have no right to quarrel with an author for giving us less 

 than we expected ; but we have a right to expect him to give us what 

 he promises. The title of the paper, translated literally promises us: 

 An attempt at a characterization of the genera of Notacantha. 

 What the paper gives us is not a characterization, but merely a meagre 

 dichotomic table of the genera. The character.s used in that table are 

 by no means the leading ones; on the contrary, subordinate characters 

 often occupy the first place, and the important ones are not men- 

 tioned at all. 



On p. 16 (No. 98) the difference between Beris and Hadrestia 

 Thomson is stated as follows: 



Scutellum with six spines Beris. 

 Scutellum with eight spines Hadrestia. 



Now it is very well knowu that in Beris the number of spines on 

 the scutelum is variable, even in the same species; for this reason Beris 

 must be characterised as having not six, but from four to eight 

 spines (comp. Loew, on Beris, Stett. Ent. Z. 1846, p. 219 or Schiners 

 Fauna Austr. I. p. 23, line 7 from bottom). The statement of the 

 differential character between Beris and Hadrestia is thus reduced to 

 nothing; at the same time a better character, which, judging from 

 Dr. Thompson 's description, exists in the antennae, is not noticed 

 by Dr. B. 



Again on the same pag. 16 the differential character between Beris 

 and Actina may be reduced to this: 



97 (100). Of the veins issuing from the discal and second basal 

 cells, the first, second and fourth are present; the third is wanting or 

 rudimentary etc. 



100 (97). The four veins issuing from the discal and second basal 

 cells are present; .... the third is often abbreviated , not reaching 

 the margin. 



The whole diflPerence between there two sentences lies in the dif- 

 ference between the words ,, rudimentary" and ,, abbreviated". Any 



') I find that since my writing tlie above, Prof. Mik has made 

 the same criticism in the Wien. Ent. Zeit. July 1882. 



