134 
THE SUBSTITUTE. 
therefore, that the subscribers and 
the public have a right to expect 
some exphuialion of the delay in 
the appearance of the volume in 
question ; and if, from any cause, 
Mr. Dallas is unable or unwilling 
to fulfil his engagement with the 
Committee, that they should put 
the work into other hands. 
With regard to the Coleoptera, 
we believe that there are plenty 
of able men in this country that 
could among them produce a 
“Manual” of that Order. Ste- 
phens’s has become, to a great ex- 
tent, obsolete; partly because so 
many varieties are described as 
species, partly because species are 
misquoted, partly because the de- 
scriptions themselves are ineffi- 
cient, and partly because the 
classification is not in accordance 
with the advanced ideas of the 
time. We mean no disrespect to 
Mr. Stephens by these remarks: 
when we think of the immense 
number of species of all Orders 
that he described, his labours 
seem wonderful ; indeed, it is the 
extent of the field in which he 
worked that is mainly the source 
of the imperfection now felt. We 
should like to know how a M amial 
of British Coleoptera issued in 
parts, at a low price, would be 
likely to be received and supported. 
The cost would be great, too great 
for any individual to risk without 
reasonable prospect of its being 
met by the entomologists of Bri- 
tain ; but if the project should be 
properly entertained we would en- 
deavour to induce those who 
could do the work to do it. Then, 
with .such a work as this in their 
hands, the entomologists of Bri- 
tain might not only make them- 
selves acquainted with the species 
of Coleoptera already known to be 
in the country, but might, nay 
must, discover new ones ; and fur- 
ther, be able to add to the know- 
ledge of the natural history of the 
Order which offers such a wide 
and little-explored field of re- 
search. The labours of the conti- 
nental entomologists in this re- 
spect contrast very favourably with 
those of the English, and it is 
time we were up and doing. 
The ‘Annual’ of this year has 
supplied one of our wants by a 
Synopsis of the Dragon-flies: this 
is a good instalment. 
TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
All communications to he authen- 
ticated bp the name of the writer, 
and to be addressed To the Em- 
Toa OF ‘The Suhstitotk,’ 9, 
Devonshike Stiieet, Bishops- 
GAXE Stkeet, London, N.E. 
It is partieularly requested that 
all Names of Insects map be u'ritten 
plainly and without abbrerialion, 
and that they may be arranyed in 
the order of any of the printed lists. 
