A Guide to the Literature of British Diptera. 79 
decide upon a starting-point, but I do not think it advisable to go further 
back than the following interesting volume :— 
1. Harris, Moses: An Exposition of English Insects. London, 1782. 
This is a quarto publication, containing 51 copper plates, upon which are 
eneraved and coloured nearly 500 figures of British Insects. No fewer than 
25 of these plates are entirely devoted to Diptera, a surprisingly large 
proportion considering the date when this work was published. These 
25 plates contain 299 figures, while the accompanying text is in parallel 
columns of English and French. A certain number of the species bear 
Linnean names and are quite recognisable when the description and figure 
are examined together, but unfortunately a large proportion of them are so 
badly drawn and described that their identity must ever remain a mystery. 
Verrall has, indeed, recognised an appreciable number of those which belong 
to the Families dealt with in the two important volumes of his “ British 
Diptera” mentioned below, and since Harris’s names predate those of Fallén 
and Meigen they have been resuscitated. Probably more of these early 
names will be restored by others who succeeded in recognising them when 
monographing other groups. 
2. Donovan, E.: Natural History of British Insects. London, 16 vols., 
1792-1813. 
This work contains 576 plates, which are very superior to those of Harris, 
though unfortunately for the Dipterist only 39 are devoted to the Two- 
winged Flies, depicting in all some 60 species. | 
3. CURTIS, JOHN: British Entomology. London, 16 vols., 1824-1839. 
This classical work was issued in monthly parts almost without 
interruption, the first appearing in January 1824 and the last in December 
1839. The complete work contains no fewer than 770 plates, each being 
accompanied by a couple of pages of letterpress. The plates have never 
been surpassed for beauty, accuracy, and artistic merit. Curtis’s plan was 
to figure and describe a typical representative of every native genus (sensu lato) 
differentiated in his time, while at the same time his letterpress contains 
a full description of the genus and an enumeration of the species known to. 
him as occurring in Britain. In many cases exact localities are given for 
the rarer species, and the work is a decided advance on any of its predecessors. 
No fewer than 109 genera of Diptera are figured, while 817 species are 
recorded as members of the British fauna. At the time Curtis was publishing 
his monthly parts the great epoch-making work of Meigen (Systematische 
Beschreibung der bekannten europdischen zweifliigeligen Insekten) was also 
appearing on the Continent, and without a doubt our English author was 
