630 Westwood's Modern Classification of Insects. 



between the Trichoptera and Lepidoptera, and the analogous 

 relations existing between the opposite orders are to be borne 

 in mind. The places marked with doubt indicate those si- 

 tuations which theoretically remain to be filled up by the in- 

 tervention of groups intermediate in their structure between 

 the different orders. 



Our author, however, instead of commencing with the Hy- 

 menoptera, has made the Coleoptera the first portion of the 

 descriptive part of his work ; and has given a long series of 

 bibliographical references to authors, classified according 

 to countries. The characters of the Coleoptera are then de- 

 tailed, and the various arrangements hitherto proposed, adopt- 

 ing (" with proper restrictions and allowances for occasional 

 exceptions,)' 1 the tarsal system, dividing the Coleoptera ac- 

 cordingly into four groups, 1, Pentamera, 2, Heteromera, 3, 

 Pseudo-tetramera, W. {Tetramera, Latr., Cryptopentamera, 

 Burm.), and 4, Pseudo-trimera, {Trimera, Latr., Cryptote- 

 tramera, Burm.) 



To this succeeds the illustration of the families of beetles, 

 which, with the introductory matter above mentioned, occu- 

 py the six numbers already published. It is this portion of 

 the work which will be of the greatest interest to the reader, 

 as in addition to ample details of the structure of the perfect 

 insect, we find almost every family illustrated by its prepa- 

 ratory states, many of which have never before been publish- 

 ed, to which are added ample accounts of the natural history, 

 economy, geograpical distribution, numerous bibliographical 

 references, &c, with notices of all the remarkable exotic ge- 

 nera, a knowledge of which is requisite for a general arrange- 

 ment of insects. 



The generic synopsis of British insects is paged separately, 

 and comprises short (perhaps too short) characters of the ge- 

 nera, and includes the synonymes of the genera, and their 

 authors, the number of British species, the typical species, 

 and references to the best figures published in illustration of 

 the genera. With the exception of the coloured plate, the 

 other illustrations, on wood, are in outline; they are, however, 

 sufficiently characteristic, giving representations of the typi- 

 cal genera, with numerous details of the mouth and other or- 

 gans, and of the larva : they are, perhaps, too much crowded, 

 but the saving of space consequently effected is very great. 



From this brief analysis our readers may form a general 

 notion of the plan and scope of Mr. Westwood's work ; but 

 to gain an insight into its real merits, and to fairly estimate 

 the high talent and comprehensive acquirement displayed by 

 the author in the prosecution of his subject, they must peruse 



