1922 ] Crumpton — Relationship of Hemiptera-Homoptera 
23 
EVIDENCES OF RELATIONSHIP INDICATED BY THE 
VENATION OF THE FORE WINGS OF CERTAIN 
INSECTS, WITH ESPECIAL REFERENCE TO 
THE HEMIPTERA-HOMOPTERA. 
By G. C. Crampton, Ph. D. 
Massachusetts Agricultural College, Amherst, Mass. 
In the August issue of Psyche for 1921 (Vol. 28, p. .116) 
Mr. F. Muir offers a criticism of certain views proposed by me 
concerning the origin and relationships of the Hemiptera, and 
since Mr. Muir’s criticism is apparently based upon a complete 
misunderstanding of my contentions concerning the interrela- 
tionships of the insectan orders in general, and the Hemiptera 
and Homoptera in particular, I would take this opportunity of 
correcting the mistaken impression given by Mr. Muir in his 
criticism. It is necessary first, however, to clearly understand 
the interrelationships of the lower forms and allied insects, 
before taking up the discussion of the phylogenetic development 
of the Hemiptera and Homoptera, and on this account I would 
postpone the discussion of Mr. Muir’s criticism until the evidence 
of relationship to be gained from a study of the venation of the 
fore wings has been presented. 
The discussion of the evidences of relationship in the different 
orders of insects indicated by a study of the venation of the fore 
wings has been taken up in the present paper because the wing 
veins are practically the only structural details preserved in a 
condition suitable for a comparative study in the fossil pre- 
cursors of living insects, and because the evidence of the wing 
venation is apparently the only evidence of relationship which 
recent students of insect phylogeny deem worthy of their con- 
sideration! So far as possible, however, I have used the evidence 
of the wing veins to corroborate the evidences of relationship 
drawn from the study of numerous other structures of the body 
as well, thereby obviating the danger of being deceived by con- 
vergent development — as might be the case if one were to depend 
upon the evidence of one set of structures, such as the wing 
veins, alone. 
