Bibliographical Notices. ■ 65 



his readers with r systematic analysis of the plants on which the dif- 

 ferent larvse feed, the name of each plant being accompanied by a 

 hst of the species which have been found on it. ' 



The Entomologist s Annual for \^bS. London. John Van Voorst. 

 * 12mo, 



The Entomologist's Annual is another book for which the British 

 entomologist is indebted to the energetic exertions of Mr. Stain ton. 

 It is now in the fourth year of its existence, and seems to us to have 

 acquired more vigour since the appearance of the first of the series ; 

 that is to say, the editor appears to have given up somewhat of his 

 original notion, that in order to obtain success, an Entomological 

 Annual must contain a certain amount of light matter, which, un- 

 fortunately, has too general a tendency to degenerate into trash. 



In the * Annual' for 1858 we meet with scarcely an indication of 

 this, the greater part of its contents being of a nature to be really 

 interesting to the student of British Entomology. 



Besides the usual lists of new British species of Coleoptera, Lepi- 

 doptera and Aculeate Hymenoptera, discovered in the course of 

 the year just elapsed, contributed by Mr. Janson, the Editor, and 

 Mr. F. Smith, we have a series of notes on British Geodephagous 

 Beetles by the Rev. J. F. Dawson, and on the caterpillars of the 

 Saw-flies by Mr. Westwood (the latter intended especially for the 

 use of young collectors of Lepidoptera, to save them the trouble and 

 mortification of rearing a number of supposed caterpillars and getting 

 nothing but Saw-flies for their pains), — questions and enigmas upon 

 points connected with the natural history of the Tineina, and other 

 Lepidopterological questions, — and a most warlike paper, entitled 

 *' Notes on Ants' -Nest Beetles," by Mr. Janson (in continuation of 

 an interesting memoir on the same subject in the * Annual ' for last 

 year), in which some offending Coleopterists are attacked in a style 

 worthy of the rival Eatanswill editors immortalized in the * Pick- 

 wick Papers.' 



But perhaps the most important paper in the volume is the 

 ** Synopsis of the British Planipennes," by Dr. Hagen, which contains 

 short characters of all the known British genera and species of the 

 true Neuroptera with a perfect metamorphosis, and also of a few 

 European forms, which Dr. Hagen considers will probably be found 

 in this country. The most important of these are the Ant-lions 

 {Myrmeleon)y one of which, it appears, was described by Barbut as a 

 British insect ; and the author thinks it by no means impossible "that 

 Southern Ireland may possess the extraordinary Nemoptera Lusi' 

 tanica.'' The last year's * Aimual ' contained a *' Synopsis of the 

 British Dragon-flies," also from the pen of Dr. Hagen ; and there, 

 can be no doubt that the publication of such papers as these must 

 add greatly both to the usefulness and prosperity of this little book. 



Ann. ^ Mag, N, Hist. Ser. 3. Vol.'u 



