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REVIEWS. 



Art. I. Catalogue of Works on Natural History, lately published, 

 •with some Notice qf those considered the most interesting to British 

 Naturalists, 



Wood, TV., F.R.S. L.S., Author of "Index Testaceologicus," 

 &c. : Index Entomologicus ; or a complete illustrated Ca- 

 talogue of the Lepidopterous Insects of Great Britain. 

 1 1 pages of letterpress ; 3 coloured plates in each Number. 

 Wood, 39. Tavistock Street, Covent Garden. 



A work of moderate price, and exhibiting accurately co- 

 loured figures of all the British Lepidoptera, is no light un- 

 dertaking, and has long been felt as a great desideratum by 

 the entomological student. Such a work Mr. Wood is now 

 presenting to the public, in periodical numbers, under the 

 title of Index Entomologicus; or, a complete illustrated Catalogue 

 of the Lepidopterous Insects of Great Britain. The first num- 

 ber only is yet out; and we hail its appearance with no ordi- 

 nary satisfaction. Pleased, however, as we are with the plan 

 and general execution of the work, we cannot resist the in- 

 clination we feel to point out some few defects which appear 

 to us to mar its beauty ; and, what is worse, to diminish its 

 utility as a book of reference, at least of convenient reference. 

 It is much to be regretted that the insects are not depicted of 

 their natural size. If, however, the adoption of such a plan 

 would have so increased the price of the work, as in great 

 measure to have defeated its very object of supplying a cheap 

 publication, we think that, at least, a uniform graduated 

 scale ought to have been employed by the artist, so as to have 

 shown at a glance the relative proportions of the respective 

 species. As it is, we have large insects and small figured of 

 the same, or nearly the same, size. Nay, more ; Hipparchia 

 Semele, pi. ii. No. 38., which is a rather larger insect than 

 H. Janirtf, is, nevertheless, represented on a smaller scale ; 

 and the male sex of H. Semele is drawn larger than the fe- 

 male. It is true, certain significant signs are inscribed beneath 

 each figure, for the purpose of showing the size of the insects 

 delineated : but we dislike these signs, as they impose a dis- 

 agreeable tax on the memory to keep their meaning constantly 

 in mind ; nor are they, in our judgment, happily contrived. 



