_ eINTRODUCTION +- 78 27 3 
stages of a majority of the species are unknown. Much of the 
area has not been entomologically explored. Collections from 
Central America-and particularly the arctic have been meager. 
--I wish especially to express my indebtedness to the Division 
of Insects Affecting Man and Animals, Bureau of Entomology 
and Plant Quarantine, for information on biologies of certain 
economi¢c species which was abstracted from their files, and to 
Mr. E. F. Knipling, of that Division, who furnished much in- 
formation bearing upon affinities between certain species as 
shown in the immature stages. Series of reared specimens from 
egg masses secured from single females were received from Dr. 
E. W.. Laake and other members of the same Division. 
Information on type specimens including the identification 
of certain specimens was obtained through correspondence with 
R. H. Beamer, Kansas University; Max Beier, Naturhistorisches 
Museum, Vienna, Austria; C. H. Curran, American Museum of 
Natural History; Richard Dow, Boston Society of Natural His- 
tory; E. O. Engel, Munich, Germany; M. J. Mackerras, Common- 
wealth Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Canberra, 
F. €.T:, Australia; Rene Malaise, Naturhistoriska Riksmuseum, 
Stockholm, Sweden; John Smart, British Museum (Natural His- 
tory ),- London, England;. E. -Seguy, -Paris Museum, Paris, 
France; -and. ©. H. T. Townsend, Itaquaquecetuba, E. F. C. B., 
Sao Paulo, Brazil. Mr. R. C. Shannon contributed much of the 
data for the historical review of the classification of the family 
Calliphoridae. The constant helpful friendliness of Stacy W. 
Edwards of Kerrville, Texas, then a First Lieutenant in the Sani- 
tary Corps, Army of the United States, who travelled with me 
throughout Central America and much of South America dur- 
ing 1942 and 1943 while making entomological surveys, made 
such surveys considerably more complete and certainly more en- 
joyable than had they been made alone. The engravings for two 
of the colored plates were furnished by M. S. Yeomans, State 
Entomologist for Georgia, and the excellence of all the color en- 
eravings is due to the skill of my friends in the Dixie Engraving 
Company, Savannah, Georgia. 
To all these institutions and correspondents I wish oratefully 
to acknowledge my indebtedness. 
HISTORY OF THE CLASSIFICATION OF THE 
CALLIPHORIDAE 
A complete history of the final segregation of the family Calli- 
phoridae can scarcely be presented here. Major advances in the 
taxonomy of this family are apparently correlated with the dis- 
