ßejoinder to Dr. Bergroth and Mr. Distant. 177 



("Journal öf the Linnean Society of London", Zoology, vol. XI, 

 p. 220.) 



This is the language of fair and honest eriticism , but 

 not of senseless and unqualified condemnation. 



In eiting Piatiipleura strumosa, I did not complain of Stäl 

 for ohanging his opinions, but for making contradictory .State- 

 ments in different works. witliont a word of explanation. 



It will probably be enougb to quote a single instance in 

 eontirmation of my statement that "StAl's species are constantly 

 qnoted witli (bnibt by those wlio bave not examined his types". 



Heferogamia püifera Stäl. 



„La diagnose donnee par M. Stäl est tres-snccincte , et 

 je suis dans le doute si cette espece n'est pas identique ä la 

 üe.rocalymma versicolor Burm." Brunn er von Watten wyl, 

 Nouv. Syst des Blattaires, p. 353. 



Mr. Distant is so strongly prejudiced in favour of Stäl, 

 that though he cannot shut his eyes to those of Stäl's numerous 

 errors whicli he happens to discover, he sometimes thinks it 

 neces.sary to apologise for them on tlie ground of Ins usual 

 accuracy (!). 



"Stäl, by an error unusual with that excellent worker 

 and describer, wrote that the Dundubia saturata Walk. . . . was 

 a synonym of i'irada flaviday (Monograph of Oriental Cicadidae, 

 p. 52.) 



Nevertheless Mr. Distant is forced sometimes to express 

 himself in very similar language to what I have employed, 

 re.specting Stäl's work on the Homoptera. Indeed it is likely 

 that my remarks (Wiener Ent. Ztg., XI, pag. 301, 302) were 

 written under a vague reoollection of the first passage that 

 I am about to (juote : 



"Had Stäl lived , he would doubtless have catalogued 

 the Homoptera with his usual lucidity and thoroughness. It 

 becomes, however, both a puzzle and waste of time to attempt 

 to unravel the many genera he founded in this family either 

 without specifying types, or alluding to such subsequently. in 

 other publications of a miscellaneous character ... In 1862 

 Stäl proposed the genus Gyrpopotus , in which he sank his 

 previously described genus Amycle as a section — a course of 



Wiener Entomolngische Zeitung, XII. .Jahrg., '<. Heft (ir>. .Tiini 1893). 



13 



