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ARGUMENT. 
After the discovery of Platypsyllus, by Ritsema, con- 
siderable interest was shown in the discussion of its sys- 
tematic position as I have shown in a paper not long since 
published (Trans. Am. Ent. Soc. 1888,.p. 25). 
In many conversations with Dr. LeConte, which led to. 
66 
the production of the. joint article in the ** Classification," 
and while we were in perfect accord as to its coleopterous 
nature, we realized that a study of the larva would settle, 
beyond the possibility: of doubt, the then somewhat open 
question. 
During a visit to Washington in October, 1887, I was 
agreeably astonished when Dr. Riley, Armse/f, informed me 
that he had the long-desired larva. 
a desire to see it, and Dr. Riley seemed willing to favor me, 
but after a short absence in his private room returned with 
the statement that he had mislaid it. I was more than dis- 
appointed, and inferred that he had no intention of showing 
me the larva. This latter Dr. Riley denies, although the 
denial will hardly agree with words attributed to him in 
¢ 
print. I felt that as he had such an *' embarras de richesses 
entomologigues’’ he would take pleasure in accepting the 
services of one who had already given so much attention to 
the insect. 
Fortunately, I had not long to wait, as a friend, fairly 
skilled in entomology, sent me early in 1888 a small number 
of the larva as well as more numerous perfect insects in 
alcohol, collected in Texas. 
Finding myself in possession of sufficient material which 
I did not owe to the kindness of Dr. Riley; I prepared my 
paper, together with the drawings necessary to illustrate it, 
and presented it to the American Entomological Society for 
publication in February, under the title, “ Some Coleop- 
IV 
T anne rai 
5 
terous Larve,’’ which, for obvious reasons, I had adopted, 
but which was subsequently. changed, as will be seen in 
Trans AM.: EME, SOC 1888, D. 15. 
The printing of Vol. XV began late in January on three 
short papers by me and progressed very slowly, owing to 
the delay with Vol. XIV, so that it was near the end of 
March before my Platypsyllus portion was in type. Find- 
ing that it was possible to visit Washington, early in April, 
I resolved to break my silence, and I accordingly exhibited 
the larva at a meeting of the Entomological Society of 
Washington, held April 5th, and demonstrated the coleop- 
terous nature of the larva, and by consequence the correct- 
ness of the views expressed by Dr. LeConte nearly sixteen 
years before. 
Previous to my visit to Washington I instructed the printer 
to delay the printing of one form, hoping to have the as- 
sistance of several of the aids of Dr. Riley, who were more 
expert in micro-photography than I, in the determination 
of the position of the spiracles. 
The following is from the printed record of the meeting 
of April 5, 1888, of the Ent. Soc. of Washington : 
‘Dr. Horn further exhibited a larva of Platypsylus mounted in 
balsam. This, he stated, was of extreme interest, since it positivety 
proved the coleopterous nature of the insect. The larva is truly 
coleopterous, with well developed mandibles, which are shed in the 
imago stage, and this is the only known instance of the loss of the 
mandibles in a coleopteron. In a paper now in press he describes : 
and figures the larva, and speaks more at length of its structure. 
“ Prof. Riley said he had been extremely interested in Dr. Horn’s 
last communication, as he had had the larva of Platypsyllus on his 
desk for some eighteen months,* intending as soon as he could get 
to it, to publish the discovery. They had been collected for him 
by Mr. Bruner, near West Point, Nebraska, and from an examina- 
tion made on their receipt he had concluded them coleopterous 
beyond a doubt. He had never questioned in his own mind the 
accuracy of Dr. LeConte’s conclusions, but the discovery of the 
larva definitely confirmed them.”” 

* The italics are mine, and may me compared with Dr. Riley’s statement when.l 
first asked to see the larva. 

