1 88 REVIEWS. 



cannot pretend to do more than notice a very few of the many interesting 

 points brought forward by the author, nor shall we be able to do justice 

 even to these. Limited as we are in time, much that should have been 

 noticed must be passed over in silence. 



In the present work, Mr. Stainton describes 89 indigenous genera under 

 13 families; but as new discoveries may, any day, add to, at least, the 

 former, the number of those at present ascertained is of secondary im- 

 portance. A remark on their geographical distribution has more interest. 

 Beyond the limits of Europe little is known ; but of the European species, 

 comparatively few are unknown in this country; the distribution of the 

 Tineina thus contrasting strikingly with that of the larger group of Lepi- 

 doptera, particularly the various families of the Rhopalocera — of which 

 division we possess a very meagre list of species. From this fact, sup- 

 posing that we may account for our deficiency in Rhopalocera, by the 

 hypothesis that they were not completely distributed over Europe before 

 the isolation of England from that continent, Mr. Stainton ingeniously and 

 reasonably infers the original precedence, in point of time, of the Tineina — 

 furnishing another proof, were any such required, of the mutual bearing on 

 each other of very dissimilar sciences. A point of contact is here observed 

 between entomology and geology ; and it may be, that in future ages 

 geologists may discover fossil Tineina in strata prior to any which contain 

 fossil Rhopalocera. It is not by any means impossible. Fossil Lepidoptera 

 are to be found, though, as is but natural from their extreme delicacy, they 

 are great rarities. 



The distinctive characters of the Tineina are thus given : — 



Antennas setaceae, raro pectinatae vel ciliatae, Corpore longiores, Ocelli 

 adsunt rarius, Corpus gracile, Alae elongatae, longe vel longissime ciliatae, 

 praesertim posteriores, hae raro elongatotrapezoidales, plerumque sensim 

 attenuatae, sine pictura, Larva 16 aut 14 pedibus instructa. 



Of these characters the most distinctive is said to be the length of the 

 ciliation of the wings ; and Mr. Stainton observes that, " there appears to 

 be a gradual progression from the Diurnal Lepidoptera, where the cilia are 

 shortest, to the Pterophorina and Alucitina." And although the larvae 

 have generally sixteen, and sometimes fourteen feet, yet their development 

 greatly varies — as, for instance, the larvae of the genus Tischeria have such 

 undeveloped legs that they cannot be seen without a microscope, while 

 those of the genus Nepticula cannot be contented with less than eighteen 

 (the number is probably unique), all well developed; but, as if to make up 

 for the unusual number, they are all of peculiar structure. This is the 

 anthor's account of them. The six anterior leys, so universally present in 



