REVIEWS OF NEW PUBLICATIONS. 337 



" 5thly. It will be a catalogue of the author's cabinet/those without a * being 

 his desiderata, and of those with a t he has only foreign specimens. The names 

 in italics denote those which are doubtful natives." 



The only comprehensive divisions employed by Mr. Curtis in this volume are 

 orders. These are sixteen in number : — Tkysanura, Coleoptera> Dermaptera, 

 Dictyoptera, Orthoptera, Strepsiptera, Hymenoptera, Neuroptera, Trickoptera, 

 Lepidoptera, Homoptera, Hemiptera, Apkaniptera, Diptera, Omaloptera. Of 

 his second order there are no British examples. 



Now we cannot consider any entomological arrangement perfect without the 

 introduction of families, if not of tribes, &c. These families would, in many in- 

 stances, take the places of the Linnsean genera. Thus the species formerly 

 ranged in the genus Papilio would now form the Butterfly family, Papili- 

 onidce; those of the genus Pkaltena would in like manner become the 

 Moth family, Pkalcenidce ; and so on. This, certainly, is a mere matter of 

 opinion ; and, however the question might be settled — whether a verdict of 

 guilty or not guilty were returned against Mr. Curtis by a jury of entomological 

 systematists — there can, we think, be but one opinion regarding the value and 

 importance of the catalogue which we trust we have induced a considerable num- 

 ber of our readers to purchase. 



British Oology ; being Illustrations of the Eggs of British Birds, with Figures 

 of each Species, as far as practicable drawn and coloured from Nature : accom- 

 panied by Descriptions of the Materials and Situation of their Nests, Number of 

 Eggs, &c. By WiLLiAM C. Hewitson. Edwards, London. Nos. xxxii. & 

 xxxiii. May, 1837. 



With much pleasure we revert to Mr. Hewitson's beautiful publication, which 

 has always been a favourite with us, and indeed, as far as we are aware, with 

 every competent ornithologist and oologist. 



The first plate contains a figure of the egg of the Caspian Tern (Sterna Cas- 

 pian Pall.), characteristic and accurate, no doubt, but scarcely so highly finished 

 as it might have been. In a practical point of view we have rarely any fault to 

 find with the plates in this work ; but, regarded as mere works of art, we gene- 

 rally fail to discover the roundness and solidity of the originals. The attempt to 

 impart these qualities to the figures by the somewhat hard shading towards the 

 outline, is, we must confess, feeble, and frequently has more the appearance of a 

 groove in the egg than anything else. However, this can never in the slightest 

 degree detract from the real value of the work ; and as the publication now ra- 

 pidly approaches its completion, it may be deemed rather late to offer critical 

 remarks of the nature of the above. 



The Caspian Tern " is said to make no nest, depositing its eggs upon the bare 

 rock, or in some slight depression on the sea-beach ; they are two or three in 

 number. For this variety I am indebted to the collection of Mr. Yarrell." 



