158 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 



Catalogue of the Lepidoptera Phal^en/e in the British Museum, 

 Vol. I., Syntomidse. — By Sir George F. Hampson, Bart., London. 

 Printed by order of the Trustees, 1898. 



This work, on the general plan of the old British Museum cata- 

 logues, avoids all the objections that have been urged against that work. 

 The British Museum authorities are especially fortunate in possessing the 

 services of so thorough and accurate a worker as Sir George Hampson. 

 The volumes are really monographs of the families treated, all species 

 that have been described being included, and not only those represented 

 in the British Museum. In this respect the title fails to do the work 

 justice. A set of plates accompanies the volume, but under a separate 

 cover, which is explained on page vii. of the preface. A synoptic table 

 of the genera is given and of the species in each genus, a description of 

 each species with bibliography and the larvae when known. An intro- 

 duction of fifteen pages deals with the general characters of the Lepi- 

 doptera in all stages. The author recognizes fifty-two families of Lepi- 

 doptera, and he has arranged them in the form of genealogical tree. It 

 would take altogether too much space to discuss this tree in full, but it 

 may be said that it presents many good points, as well as others against 

 which objections can be urged. A key to the families follows. 



The Syntomidffi of the world are made to comprise one hundred and 

 sixty-eight genera, and eleven hundred and eighty four species, of which 

 by far the greater portion are from the tropics of South America. The 

 family runs into the Arctiid»3, it being stated (page 20) that no very exact 

 lines can be drawn between them. Under these conditions it is not sur- 

 prising that certain genera are included, which, in the opinion of the 

 reviewer, are Arctiidas. A large table showing the phylogeny of the 

 genera is given, necessarily without reference to the larval characters, as 

 only about one and one-half per cent, of the larvje of this family have 

 ever been described. The table is without explanation, except the short 

 discussion on page 21, which refers indirectly to it. The few North 

 American species of the Syntomidje are arranged as follows : 



477 Cosmosoma auge, Linn. 



569 Pseiidomya minima^ Grt. 



It is gratifying to have this species at last placed correctly. 



679 Syntomcida ipomece, Harr. 



My partial description of the larva of this species is not referred to. 

 (Boston Soc. Nat. Hist., XXVII., 138.) 



