74 
REVIEWS. 
described the antennas ©f his Bombylidce as three to four-jointed, but im¬ 
mediately afterwards allows that they are five-jointed in Thereua. 
8. ScENOPiNiDiE. —This family, containing the single genus Scenopinus , 
is surely too narrowly circumscribed in proportion to the other families. 
When the junction of Thereua with the Bombylidce has been admitted, and 
when such a family as his Muscidce is not deemed to comprehend too dis¬ 
cordant forms, it would have been no extraordinary step to have adopted 
here the simplified arrangement of Mr. Westwood, who unites the Sceno - 
pinidce , Pipunculidce , Platypezidce , and Lonchopteridce in one family. 
It is an old remark that what we have been accustomed to look at as sys¬ 
tematically distinct appears to us more different than it really is ; and this 
seems to be verified in the present instance. The affinity between the 
Scenopinidce , Pipunculidce , and Platypezidce is obviously shown in the form 
of the ternate areolets: the Lonchopteridce are more remote from these, so 
that the author might, without fear of censure, have excluded that family 
from such a combination. 
9. Empire.—T he extent in which this family is taken, comprehending 
the Empidce , Tachydromidce , and Hybotidce of other authors, seems to us 
too great not to involve some perplexity to beginners, for whom it is to be 
remembered the work is intended. The author might, at least, have divided 
the family into subordinate groups. It seems to us that he would have 
done well to have treated—if not as a distinct family—yet, as a peculiar 
group, the genera in which the pobrachial areolet is much longer than the anal, 
the latter often wanting, the third longitudinal vein almost universally 
simple, the discoidal cell present only in some_rare instances, and in which 
the antenna) are apparently two-jointed—in other words, the genuine 
Tachydromidce. The remainder of this great family then falls into two 
groups, in the first of which the vein that closes the anal areolet is nearly 
parallel to the posterior margin, and the posterior angle of the wing is very 
prominent; while in the second the anal areolet is rounded or truncated at 
the end, and the posterior angle of the wing much rounded off. The 
limit between these two groups might be drawn in different ways. If the 
former of these characters is considered as the more important, the first 
group may end with Leptopeza and Brachystoma longicornis (a species 
which does not belong to the genus Brachystoma in the proper sense) ; and 
the second may commence with Oedalea , Euthyneura , Brachystoma , and 
thence proceed to Ardoptera , Heleodromia , Wiedemannia , Sciodromia , and 
Phyllodromia ; or, if the latter is viewed as the more important character, 
then Oedalea and Euthyneura should be transferred to the first group, 
