Entomological Society. Al-il 



Classification of Insects' (Gen. Syn. p. 48), are copied from his 'British Entomology.' 

 It will he necessary only to compare the characters given in these two works to see 

 that this statement is unfounded : Mr. Westwood's original detailed description (accom- 

 panied by drawings of the anatomical details of the genus) was, moreover, read at the 

 Entomological Society five months before Mr. Curtis published his description, and 

 the insect was referred by Mr. Westwood to its legitimate family, whereas by Mr. Curtis 

 it was incorrectly placed in the family Psocidae ; whilst Mr. Stephens, who had, in fact, 

 first pointed it out as a genus, referred it to a different order.'' 



" II. In page 134, vol. iii. New Series, Mr. Smith has described the Formicideous 

 genus Stenamma, which he assigns to Mr. Stephens as its author ; that author, how- 

 ever, had no other share in its establishment than that of indicating its existence in his 

 Catalogue (p. 356), as follows: — 



'Genus 92: (666) 



4838. f 1. Westwoodii mihi. In Mus. D. Westwood.' 



The fact simply being, that knowing that Mr. Westwood possessed a new British ant, 

 which the latter regarded as a distinct genus, he thought fit to notice its existence, iden- 

 tifying it with Mr. Westwood's insect by attaching his name to it specifically. The 

 name and characters of the genus were first given in the ' Introduction to Modern 

 Classification/ Mr. Smith states, moreover, that there are no other differences 

 separating Stenamma from Myrmica than the three-jointed labial palpi (in Myrmica 

 they are four-jointed), the importance of which character Mr. Smith endeavours, perhaps 

 with reason, to disprove. But, in the ' Introduction' (ii. p. 219, 226, and Gen. Syn. 

 p. 83), Mr. Westwood has described and figured the structure of the mandibles and 

 maxillary palpi, which entirely disagree with those of Myrmica, proving the insect to 

 belong to the same section as Myrmecina and Polyergus." 



Mr. Stainton read the following note: — 

 The Occurrence of the Small Genera of Tineina in Tropical Countries established. 



" The question has frequently been asked, whether the small genera of Micro- 

 Lepidoptera, Lithocolletis, Nepticula, &c, which are so plentifully represented in 

 these temperate regions, did not also occur in tropical climates. Those who had col- 

 lected abroad denied their occurrence there, because they had never seen them ; but 

 this was a negative proof which merely established that they had not been observed, 

 not that they did not occur there ; and to observe these small genera a special educa- 

 tion is absolutely necessary ; the eye which has been trained to detect an Ornithoptera 

 on the wing at the distance of a quarter of a mile, cannot at once, and without previous 

 practice, notice a Nepticula at the distance of a few feet. 



" I have for some time entertained the opinion that, if the exotic Micro-Lepidoptera 

 are to he collected, it must be by some entomologist who has learned first to collect 

 insects of that group at home, and who then carries his home-bred skill into distant 

 regions. I regretted that when Mr. Wallace and Mr. Layard were in this country 

 neither stopped here long enough to learn the habits of our Micro-Lepidoptera : among 

 the species of Microptera collected in Ceylon by Mr. Layard were several belonging to 

 the family Elachistidae, and I could scarcely doubt that a short training in this 

 country would have enabled him to have discovered many smaller species. 



