Arachnida. 657 



Order SCORPIONES. 



The first publication containing reference bo the collection of 



Scorpions appears to be vol. iii. of the " Bist. NTat. In-. \ r 

 1844, wherein the author, M. Paul Gervais, described some of the 

 species preserved in the Museum cabinets. There la also some 

 internal evidence that, probably Bomewhere about I860, Dr, 

 Peters examined the collection, or part of it, and identified some 

 of the species; but he described no new forms. The dried Bpeci 

 mens contained in the cabinet were more or Less roughly named 

 by Mr. A. G. Butler, or his predecessors, who had charge of the 

 Arachnida; but it was not until 188'.) thai the systematic >tudy 

 of the Scorpions was commenced. In that year .Mr. R. I. Pococfe 

 started to work up the collection, beginning with bhe compilation 

 of a MS. catalogue of the described species, in which were entered, 

 under their appropriate generic and specific headings, the names, 

 numbers, and histories of the specimens preserved in the Museum. 

 Since 1889, the collection has rapidly grown, by the present at ion, 

 exchange, and purchase of specimens from all parts of the world 

 These have been named and catalogued. At the present time tin- 

 collection is considerably the richest in the world, so far as the 

 numbers of species, specimens, and types are concerned. 



Most of the types are those of the species established by .Mi. 

 Pocock. In addition to these and the types of the species 

 described by Gervais above alluded to, the Trustees acquired by 

 purchase from M. Goudot, in 1846, some of Gervais's types or 

 co-types of his Colombian species. In 1889 and 1897 .Mr. K. 

 W. Oates presented his entire collection of Burmese Scorpions, 

 amounting to over 300 specimens, including the types and co-types 

 of the species he had described. Amongst the named Scorpions 

 contained in Keyserling's collection was the type of one species. 

 Also the types of one of Kraepelin's species, and co-types of others 

 were received in exchange from the Hamburg .Museum in ' - 

 and co-types of several species of OjpisthoplUhalmtu were similarly 

 acquired from the South African Museuin, Cape Town, in 1899. 



Order PEDIPALPI. 



Up to 1872 the Museum material of Pedipalpj belonging to 

 the family Thelyjphonidse had never been systematically Btudied 

 In that year Mr. A. G. Butler published in the " Ann. Mag. Nat, 

 VOL. ii. 2 i 



