32 Mr. Newman's Descriptive List IV. A Descriptive List of the Species of Popillia, in the Cabinet of the Rev. F. W. Hope, M.A., with one De-scrijjtion added, from a Specimen in the British Museum. By Edward Newman. [Read May, 1838.] In offering to the Entomological Society these descriptions of the species of the lamellicorn genus Popillia, I cannot forego the opportunity thus afforded me of bearing my testimony to the liberality with which Mr. Hope's matchless cabinet is thrown open to Entomologists. It gives me much pleasure to acknow-ledge, not only the great advantages I have personally received from this copious source of information, but also the prompt and uniform kindness with which my inquiries have been assisted. I consider Mr. Hope's liberality, in thus affording free access to his collections, a general advantage to science, and likely to assist materially in establishing for the Entomologists of this country a far higher reputation than they have hitherto enjoyed. As the species of this genus appear very numerous, I have preferred confining myself, with a single exception, to those in Mr. Hope's cabinet : any attempt to monograph the genus must at present prove a failure. With regard to specific names, I have already fully expressed my views in another place, and it is only necessary in addition to state, that I consider names, unaccompanied by descriptions, to be entirely valueless ; and acting on this view of the subject, I totally disregard those published lists of words, which are de-signed to impose names on certain species, without the labour of describing them : so far from believing that such lists will, among men of science, impose names on the species which they are supposed to represent, I believe the greater, and by far the better portion of Entomologists, agree with myself, in considering them mere trash. Again, the practice of attempting to supersede a published and received name by an unmeaning word, of which hundreds of instances occur in two lists published respectively in London and Paris, bespeaks an egotism almost too ridiculous to excite our anger, and an ignorance of scientific usages more to be pitied than censured. It however frequently occurs, that in an extensive collection, like that of Mr. Hope, manuscript names are attached to specimens by the owner, and in describing such species, especially if they are not to be found elsewhere, it
IV. A Descriptive List of the Species of Popillia, in the Cabinet of the Rev. F. W. Hope, M.A., with one Description added, from a Specimen in the British Museum
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