66 



The Natuealist, 



form, on the whole of the class Insecta, or rather the whole of the 

 British insects ; omitting the orders Dermaptera, Dictyoptera, Strep- 

 siptera, Aphaniptera, Homaloptera, and Aptera, for reasons to be 

 afterwards explained. The works from which the table is taken are 

 — " Systematic Catalogue of British Insects," by Stephens, date 1829 ; 

 " Guide to an Arrangement of British Insects," by Curtis, date 1829 ; 

 " Introduction to the Modern Classification of Insects," the " Synopsis 

 of the Genera of British Insects," at the end of the second volume, by 

 Westwood, date 1810; "The Insect Hunters," by Newman, published 

 about the end of 1857. This last work I did not see pr know any- 

 thing about until after my paper for the Northern Entomological 

 Society was read. It is based on the Metamorphotic system, whilst 

 the other authors have adopted the Cibarian. 



STEPHENS. 



1. Coleoptera 



2. Orthoptera 



3. Neuroptera 



4. Trichoptera 



5. Hymenoptera 



6. Lepidoptera 



7. Diptera 



8. Hemiptera 

 9 Homoptera 



CUETIS. 



Coleoptera 

 Orthoptera 



Hymenoptera 



Neuroptera 



Trichoptera 



Lepidoptera 



Homoptera 



Hemiptera 



Diptera 



WESTWOOD. 



1. Coleoptera 



2. Orthoptera 



3. Thysanoptera 



4. Neuroptera 



5. Trichoptera 



6. Hymenoptera 



7. Lepidoptera 



8. Homoptera 



9. Heteroptera 

 10. Diptera 



NEWMAN. 



Lepidoptera 



Diptera 



Hymenoptera 



Coleoptera 



Stegoptera 



Neuroptera 

 Orthoptera 

 Hemiptera 



It will be seen that three of our authors commence with the order 

 Coleoptera, and Westwood states his reason for so doing. He says : 

 " This order comprises the extensive tribes of beetles, and, in respect 

 to the size of some of these insects, or the number of individual 

 species, must be regarded as occupying the foremost rank among 

 insects." (Introd. i., p. 33.) 



The omission of the orders before-mentioned has now to be 

 explained. The Dermaptera, Leach, or Euplexoptera, Westw., con- 

 taining the family Forficulidse, also the Dictyoptera, or Blattid^e, will 

 be included with the Orthoptera. The Strepsiptera, or Stylopidae, 

 are considered to belong to the Coleoptera. The Aphaniptera, or 

 Pulicidse, and the Homaloptera, containing the families Hippoboscidfe 

 and Nycteribidffi, are both placed among the Diptera. There remains 

 then the order Aptera to be disposed of. Curtis divides it into two 

 orders, viz., Thysanura and Anoplura. Sir John Lubbock, in his 



