GENERA OF AFRICAN LYCAENIDAE 7 



generally refrained from making new subdivisions or, in particular, introducing new 

 generic names, which might add to the existing confusion. 



At this point I have added brief indications of what is known of the life histories 

 of the species referred to the genus. This is the only part of the present work which 

 is pure compilation, for I have no personal knowledge of the early stages of any of the 

 species concerned. It shows how strikingly ignorant we are in this respect. 



Finally, there is appended to the account of each genus an alphabetical list of all 

 the species, subspecies, varieties etc., referred to it, and their synonyms ; those of 

 which I have myself examined the male genitalia are marked with an asterisk, and 

 I have been at pains to give references to descriptions of these organs published 

 elsewhere by other authors. The alphabetical arrangement has been deliberately 

 chosen because, in my opinion, the gaps in our knowledge are still so great as to 

 render the production of a satisfactory natural systematic arrangement impossible. 

 I am fully aware of the imperfections and lacunae of this work. It is not exactly 

 attractive ; the employment of a uniform order in the enumeration of characters 

 and the necessarily concise style inevitably tend to produce a dry, monotonous text. 

 My essay is more critical than constructive, and is meant to show that the present 

 classification rests on imperfect bases. I have been content in the end to suggest a 

 few new groupings of species and genera, nothing more, because to build up a sound 

 system of classification, it would be necessary to examine all the species that exist, 

 and I have not been able even to study all those that are known. It must be 

 remembered that if it is comparatively easy to obtain sufficient material for the study 

 of a limited and well known fauna, such as that of Europe, it is practically impossible 

 to examine within a reasonable time all the Ethiopian species, many of which are 

 represented by single specimens distributed in Museums and private collections all 

 over the world. This will be the work of many authors specializing on single genera, 

 or on limited groups of genera at a time. 



Incomplete as this work is bound to be, I hope that it may be of some use, if only 

 to incite other entomologists to further studies. I should not have dared to under- 

 take it, had it not been for the friendly encouragement of Mr. N. D. Riley, formerly 

 Keeper of Entomology, in the British Museum (Natural History), whose advice and 

 help has always been available to me, and who made himself responsible for the final 

 revision of the English text and for elucidating various nomenclatural obscurities 

 etc. I also wish to thank the Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History) for 

 their kindness in publishing this work. 



I owe sincere thanks also to all the entomologists, both officials, and amateurs, 

 who have sent me material for study, first and foremost Mr. T. H. E. Jackson of 

 Kitale, Kenya, who sent me hundreds of specimens ; further Mr. B. D. Barnes of 

 Umtali ; Mr. N. H. Bennett, Tring ; Monsieur L. Berger, of the Musee Royal de 

 l'Afrique central, Tervuren ; Mr. R. H. Carcasson, Coryndon Museum, Nairobi ; 

 the late G. C. Clark, Port Elizabeth ; Mr. H. Cookson, Umtali ; Mr. C. G. C. Dickson, 

 Cape Town ; Dr. M. Fontaine, Brussels ; Dr. W. Forster, Zoologische Sammlung 

 des Bayerischen Staates, Munich ; Dr. H. J. Hannemann, Berlin ; Father Th. 

 Massen, missionary in Ghana ; Mr. K. M. Pennington, Balgowan, Natal ; Dr. 

 E. C. G. Pinhey, Bulawayo ; Dr. Patrick Roche, London ; Monsieur P. Rougeot, 



