110 
RECORDS OF THE AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM. 
cross-vein (in first posterior cell) situated a little beyond the 
discal, great cross-vein before the middle of the latter ; sixth 
longitudinal vein nearly straight. 
Jlab, — Dunoon, Upper Richmond River, N. S. Wales (Helms). 
Three specimens in March. 
ST E P II A NO CIR C US, Sk. : A REJOINDER. 
Mr. Carl E. Baker omitted to include a diagnosis of my genus 
in his table of the genera of the Pulicidm* as he evidently 
first wished to “verify all the points of the description” by 
the examination of actual specimens. I would explain that the 
flea in question was taken in large numbers on one animal, 
Dasyurus maculatus , Kerr, and that there is no mistake in 
attributing the two sexes figured in my paperf to one species.! 
It would possibly not conform with Mr. Baker’s preconceived 
system of classification of what he calls “ Siphonaptera.” Before 
essaying the task of reconstructing existing classification it is 
usual for the reformer to make himself acquainted with the 
literature bearing on the subject. Mr. Baker, however, discusses 
my conclusions at second hand and without attention to the 
numerous figures upon which I relied to elucidate my meaning. 
Under these circumstances it is scarcely fair in him to condemn 
my article as confusing together two species referable to known 
genera. What genera they should be referred to, Mr. Baker, 
exercising more discretion than valour, fails to indicate. It is at 
least remarkable that one supposed sjDecies should be all males 
and the other all females. Were such the case they might pro- 
duce a hybrid in consonance with Mr. Baker’s classification. 
There is a tale extant of a conchologist who elaborated a 
classification of Mollusca ; one shell however, which refused to fall 
in line with his system was promptly disposed of under his heel, 
to save further trouble. It would appear that my Stephano circus 
merits a similar sad fate. 
In conclusion I might mention that a very remarkable flea was 
described from Australia§ by Olliff, under the name of Echidno- 
phaga ambulans (from the peculiar character of its inability to 
jump), but no notice is taken of this insect in Mr. Baker’s papers. 
F. A. A. SKUSE. 
# Canad. Entom., xxvii., p. 63. 
fR,ec. Austr. Mus., ii. , p. 77, pi. xvii. 
+ Strong evidence is furnished by Mr. Baker, himself, when he affirms 
(l.c., p. 132), “It is not a usual occurrence for two species of fleas to be 
found living together on a single wild animal/' that there is no error iu 
my data. 
§ Proc. Linn. Soc. N.S.W., (2) i., p. 172, (1886). 
