The Scottish Naturalist. 141 



trustworthiness of the plates and of the text ; and to render the latter 

 more complete, the Rev. J. Hellins, so well known among Entomolo- 

 gists for the value of his personal labours in rearing and observing 

 the habits of larvae, labours carried on to a considerable extent in 

 conjunction with Mr. Buckler, has written descriptions where omitted 

 by the latter or has supplemented such as were incomplete. 



In the preface, the editor explains the origin of this book. We 

 learn that Mr. Buckler was a painter of miniatures, but found that 

 photography destroyed his occupation. In 1857 the services of an 

 artist were required to paint the larvae of the Tineina, for Mr. Stainton's 

 classical work on the '* Natural History of the Tineina," and, in reply 

 to an appeal by Mr. Stainton, Mr. Buckler undertook the work. He 

 continued to carry it on for three years, but found his time so much 

 occupied by it as to interfere with other engagements ; and he had 

 therefore to resign it. But he had been biassed towards the continu- 

 ance of this line of study, and in 1858 he began to paint the larvae of 

 the larger Lepidoptera for his own amusement. 



His collection of drawing? became large, and he set himself to render 

 it as complete as possible. In this. he was much assisted by friends 

 sending to him from all parts of Britain eggs laid by rare insects 

 after capture, and larvae when found on their foodplants. In this way 

 a very large amount of material was accumulated by him. He painted 

 the larvae, and usually wrote descriptions of them ; but he also 

 left a number of drawings without descriptions. It is these deficiencies 

 that Mr. Hellins has so well supplied in the two volumes before us. 



One great difficulty which Mr. Buckler had to contend with was 

 rearing the larvae when uncertain of the foodplants or plants, and a 

 good many larvae were lost for lack of information, more especially 

 when they were hatched from eggs laid in captivity. 



A number of the descriptions of larvas were published by Mr. Buckler 

 in the Entomologists' Monthly Magazine, but his paintings remained 

 unpublished during his life. Where necessary to complete his series 

 of paintings, he procured from the Continent of Europe eggs and 

 larvae of such species as he was unable to obtain British examples of 

 in their earlier stages. 



At his death, in January, 1884, the Ray Society purchased his draw- 

 ings, and MSS. from his executor, and undertook their publication ; 

 a step for which they deserve the thanks of all lepidopterists. 



The plates in the two volumes issued bear evidence to the con- 

 scientious nature of the reproduction of Mr. Buckler's figures. Such 

 larvae and pupae as are familiar to us in real life are so truly coloured 

 that we cannot doubt the accuracy of those that are seen by few even 

 among lepidopterists. They are drawn of the natural size, and in the 

 natural attitudes ; and such varieties are figured as the author could 

 obtain. Many interesting additions to previous records are also made 



