PREFA CE. V 



comparative study of the various methods of specialization 

 has been beyond the reach of any but the most advanced 

 scholars. 



The principal features of the method of notation of wing- 

 veins proposed by Josef Redtenbacher has been adopted. 

 But as the writer's views regarding the structure of the 

 wings of primitive insects are very different from those 

 of Redtenbacher, the nomenclature proposed in this book is 

 to a great extent original. The chief point of difference 

 arises from the belief by the present writer that veins IV 

 and VI do not exist in the Lepidoptera, Diptera, and 

 Hymenoptera ; and that, in those orders where they do exist, 

 they are secondary developments. The reasons for this be- 

 lief are set forth at length in my essay on Evolution and 

 Taxonomy. 



In this essay there was proposed a new classification of 

 the Lepidoptera, which was the result of an effort to work 

 out the phylogeny of the divisions of this order. This classi- 

 fication has been further elaborated in the present work. In 

 the other orders but few changes have been made from the 

 more generally accepted classifications. It is more than 

 probable however, that when the taxonomic principles upon 

 which this classification of the Lepidoptera is based are ap- 

 plied to the classification of the other orders radical changes 

 will be found to be necessary. 



A serious obstacle to the popularization of Natural His- 

 tory is the technical names that it is necessary to use. In 

 order to reduce this difficulty to a minimum the pronuncia- 

 tion of all of the Latin terms used has been indicated, by 

 dividing each into syllables and marking the accented 

 syllable. In doing this the well-established rules for the 

 division of Latin words into syllables have been followed. 

 It seems necessary to state this fact in order to account for 

 differences which exist between the pronunciations given 

 here and some of those in certain large dictionaries recently 

 published in this country. 



