3740 Insects. 



publication, as well as deeply immersed in studying the mysteries of 

 Electricity, &c, I advanced so rapidly with my collections of British 

 shells and insects, that I had more than doubled the number of the 

 latter by 1822, and I contrived nevertheless to gradually work up the 

 'Catalogue of Insects,' until, on its publication in 1829, I actually re- 

 gistered no less than 10,116 species, — two-thirds, at least, captured 

 by myself, — although at this time there were not half-a-dozen collec- 

 tions named in England, and those only partially so; and as I had no 

 transmarine or other assistants to clear up doubtful points, possessed 

 but a trifling entomological library, and had to ferret out the names 

 as best I could, frequently from works in the Teutonic and other 

 European languages, — it is not to be wondered at, that with all these 

 disadvantages and engagements — personal and domestic illnesses, &c. 

 — I was occasionally at fault, especially when we find that individu- 

 als who devote the greater portion of their lives to one order, group, 

 or family of insects &c, are equally, if not, in proportion to their li- 

 mited researches and better opportunities, more so. 



1 am at a loss to divine why the long extract from Guenee respect- 

 ing my ' Illustrations' is introduced ; unless to exhibit (among other 

 things) his neglect of the numerous remarks made by me in regard to 

 many of the supposed species (vide the genus Caradrina, 111. (Haust.) 

 ii. 154, and Syst. Cat. ii. 75, 76, &c, as instances), and his utter disre- 

 gard of the fact that the synonymes were to be found in the Syst. Cat. 

 Had Guenee however consulted Wood's c Index Entomologicus,' he 

 would have found original figures — and moreover correct ones in the 

 main — of all the assumed species of that day, together with those of 

 many undoubted species, to which, if described at all by him, he 

 has given new names, although previously described by Haworth and 

 myself. 



Once more : Guenee states (Intr. Ixxx.) that the synonymy in the 

 Mus. Cat. accords " en tous points " with that established between 

 himself and Mr. Doubleday : to show that this is not the case, the fol- 

 lowing additional instances of disagreement in the names of species 

 alone, exclusive of synonymes,* will suffice, and at the same time 

 add some useful information as to the synonymy, to this unavoidably 

 lengthy paper ; and also exhibit a few additional " abrogations of the 

 law of priority," nearly coincident in number with the discrepancies 



* The proportions are about the same as in the Torlrices, p. 3737 : whence there- 

 fore accrue the hundreds of additional names in the Mus. Cat. pt. i. ? Which mani- 

 festly proves that Guenee made the assertion without examination ! 



