682 
ZOOLOGICAL LITERATURE. 
ceps in folding up its wings after fliglit, and also for tlie purpose of holding- 
larvae to its mouth while eating them. Ent. M. Mag. ii. p. 158. 
Opisthocosmia, g. n., Dohrn, 1. c. p. 70 {—Ancistrogader, StSl, part.). Body 
rather convex \ antennae 10-16-jointed, with first joint long, ohconical, 
second very short, remainder long j pronotum much narrower than head ; 
second joint of tarsi short, dilated j second and third segments of abdomen 
with folds j legs long and slender. Known species : Ancktrogaster spinax 
(l)ohrn), A. luctuosus (StSl), For/, armata (Do Ilaan), F, forcipata (Do 
Ilaan), F. lungipes (Do Ilaan), F. i/mgnk (Do Ilaan), F. vigilans (Stal), F. 
tenella (De Ilaan), mA Lahia cey/omca (Motsch.). New species : Opisthor 
cosmia maculifera, 1. c. p. 77, and O. variegata, 1. c. p. 78, from Venezuela ; 
O. clevians, 1. c. p. 79, from Brazil j and O. centurio, 1. c. p. 79, from Lu9on. 
Sparatta schotti, sp. n., Dohrn, 1. c. p. 69, from Brazil. 
Lohophora. Dohrn describes the following new species : — L. superhcij 1. c. 
p. 71, Malacca ; L. Icelior, 1. c. p. 73, Batchian j L. ludehingi, ibid., Sumatra, 
L. Qiielmiocephala, 1. c. p. 75, Tranquebar. 
Forjicida. Of this genus as restricted by him Dohrn describes as new 
species : — F. calif ornica, 1. c. p. 85, F. africana, 1. c. p. 86, from Southern 
Africa ; F. ivallacei, 1. c. p. 88, from New Guinea ; F. dngulensis, 1. c. p. 89, 
F. metalHca, 1. c. p. 90, from Assam ; F. ancylura, 1. c. p. 91, from the Philip- 
pines j F. imegeli, I c. p. 92, from the East Indies F.jagori, 1. c. p. 94, from 
Im^on j F. circulata, 1. c. p, 95, from IMadras ; F. lohophoroides, 1. c. p. 96, from 
the Philippines j F. lucasi, L c. p. 98, from Syria and Egypt. 
Blattid^. 
Van Hasselt quotes a report of Vinson, that Blatta americana is thought 
in the Mauritius and Bourbon to possess a certain vesicant property, which 
causes a peculiar affection of the lips of persons to whom the insects may 
have been attracted by the smell of their food or drink, and cites some other 
observations which he thinks renders the subject worthy of further investi- 
gation. Tijdschr. voor Entom. 1865, pp. 98-99. 
PlIASMIDAi. 
Bates (Trans. Linn. Soc. xxv. pp. 321-326) indicates the pro- 
gress of our knowledge of the insects of this family. In 1835 
G. R. Gray enumerated 108 described species ; and in 1859 
W^estwood, in his monograph, described in all 471 species. 
Other authors (chiefly Saussure) have since described 17 new 
species ; and these, with the 52 species described by Bates, in- 
crease the number of known species to 540. Bates also remarks 
upon the peculiarities presented by the Phasmidcej and indicates 
that the difficulty experienced in classifying them is due to the 
multiplicity of imitative modifications which they present, which 
he explains in accordance with the tlieory of natural selection. 
He holds that these modifications have affected all parts of the 
organism in such a manner that we can no longer find those 
more or less fixed starting-points for the establishment of a 
system which ^re jiecessary for the definition of well-marked 
