Insects. 



81 



The first edition of the preceding list of insects was chiefly prepared during the 

 year 1830 ; but, before its publication in 1833, all the species, whether named or 

 not, which were included in the several orders, were enumerated as below. 



I. Coleoptera 994 



II. Orthoptera 44 



III. Hemiptera 102 



IV. Omoptera 54 



V. Neuroptera 91 

 VI. Hymenopetera 388 



VII. Lepidoptera 428 



VIII. Strepsiptera 1 



IX. Diptera 247 



X. Aptera i 



2350 



I believe this to be the first instance in which the public has been presented 

 with any thing like a complete list of the insects of any part of our country ; * 

 and, in making this and the subsequent attempt, I have had before me not one of 

 the numerous catalogues of insects which have been published in Europe. Many 

 of the most valuable, important, and standard works on Entomology are known 

 to me only by name ! they are beyond the means of an individual to procure, and 

 are not to be found in our public libraries, which are lamentably deficient in the 

 most approved works on this subject. In the present state of the science, ento- 

 mology cannot advantageously be pursued without books, and collections from 

 other countries for study and comparison: for the want of these thesecond edition 

 of this catalogue, though much enlarged, is very far from being complete ; "a great 

 number of our insects have necessarily been left without names, it being found im- 

 possible, without consulting authorities inaccessible to me, to refer them even to 

 their proper genera. This is more particularly the case with the Lepidoptera; 

 the list of which is now reprinted without alteration from the first copy. 



To the names of insects, which have been ascertained by means of published 

 descriptions, are annexed the names or initials of the first describers, together 

 with some of the most common Synonyms which have been imposed by subse- 

 quent entomologists. Those without such authorities are, so far as I can ascer- 

 tain with my limited means of information, new species, which remain to be de- 

 scribed hereafter. In those cases where two or three different names have 

 been proposed for an undescribed insect I have thought proper to retain them, on 

 account of the uncertainty as to which will be finally adopted and sanctioned 

 when the insect is described. 



Mr. Say, the author of the 'American Entomology,' has done me the honor 

 to name a large number of my new species, and has rendered me important 

 assistance in determining many of the genera, particularly in the orders Omop- 

 tera and Diptera. 



It is not improbable that some species, which'are to be found in collections inthis 

 vicinity, are omitted in the catalogue; for in drawing it up, (with the exception 

 of a few remarkable insects, which a single examination sufficed to determine 

 and fix in the recollection,) I have deemed it expedient, on account of the impor- 

 tance of having them always accessible for the purpose of examination and com- 

 parison, to confine myself to the insects in my own collection. I have included in 

 the catalogue some insects which, though found beyond the boundaries of the 

 Siate, may eventually be detected in Massachusetts. For these, and an immense 

 number of duplicates, I am indebted to my friend the Rev. L. W. Leonard of 

 Dublin, N. H., who has still more increased my obligations to him by his disin- 

 terested liberality in sending me even the rare and undescribed insects of which 

 he possessed no duplicates. Dr. D. S. C. H. Smith has kindly supplied me with a 

 suit of insects from Sutton, Mass., among which were nearly a hundred species 

 new to my collection. My acknowledgments are due also to Wm. Oakes, Esq., 



* The Catalogue of the Rev. F. V. Melsheimer, the only one which has ever been published, is con- 

 fined to the Coleoptera, and was primed at Hanover, Pennsylvania, in 1S06. 



