BRITISH COLEOPTERA DELINEATED. 507 



The work is carefully printed ; the outline woodcuts are 

 chiefly copied from Panzer, and are by no means satisfactory ; 

 and more than half of the families are not illustrated by figures 

 of their preparatory states. The work is announced to be 

 completed in three parts, but the genera alone, on the plan 

 here pursued, will occupy at least five such parts as the pre- 

 sent, independently of the other portions of the work proposed 

 to be given in the the title-page. 



Art. III. — British Coleoptera Delineated ; consisting of Figures of all the 

 Genera of British Beetles. Drawn in outline by W. Spry, M.E.S. — 

 Edited by W. Shuckard, Lib. R. S., author of " Essay on the Fossorial 

 Hymenoptera," and the " Elements of British Entomology." 



The prospectus of this useful work correctly observes, that 

 " whilst the most elaborate description must fail to convey a 

 distinct idea of the great variety that occur[s] in the forms of 

 the genera of Coleoptera, neither can the best drawing give 

 the requisite detail of all particulars ; hence the pen and 

 pencil must lend each other mutual help. With this object 

 therefore in view, and with a wish to supply the deficiency of 

 one of these desiderata, the present work, consisting of out- 

 line figures of the whole series of the genera of British bee- 

 tles has been commenced." These figures are exceedingly 

 characteristic, six or eight being placed upon each plate, con- 

 veying a very satisfactory notion of the forms of the genera 

 intended to be represented ; in fact we know of no figures 

 which surpass them in this respect, except those of Mr. 

 Haliday published in the ' Entomological Magazine.' The 

 pencil has done its part well and laboriously — the pen has 

 contributed descriptions, not of the genera, but of the species 

 represented. If the work be intended as a supplement to the 

 ' Elements of British Entomology,' it answers its purpose 

 completely; if not, then descriptions, or at least, descrip- 

 tive tables, of the genera, ought to bave been added. And we 

 would strongly recommend Mr. Spry, who has evidently taken 

 so great a share of the labour of the work, to have a second 

 set of text printed, in which the pen may so lend its help to 

 the pencil, that both the desiderata above mentioned may be 

 obtained, and the work rendered what it deserves to be, inde- 

 pendent of any other, and not as it now is, a mere supplement 

 to other works. 



The work appears in parts, each containing six plates il- 

 lustrating nearly fifty genera. The plates appear irregularly, 

 and amongst the Xylophaga we find the Lyctus nitidns, Gyll. 



