28 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 



I 



sections — the Cribellatce., with eight families, the Ecribellatce, with thirty 

 families. This portion of Vol. I. contains the External Anatomy and the 

 classification of the Aratiecp. theraphosce and the Cribellate section of the 

 Ara?iece vera. The text is illustrated with outline figures. There is no 

 key to the families, but under each family there is a key to the genera, 

 after which follow descriptions of the genera and various remarks. The 

 descriptions of the genera and the keys are in Latin ; the rest in French. 

 Although the classification will, of course, change from time to time, this 

 work will be for many years to come a most important work for arachnolo- 

 gists, and should be found in every college library throughout the world. 

 — N. B. 



A Synonymic Catalogue of Lepidoptera Heterocera (Moths) by 

 W. F. Kirby, F. L. S., F. E. S., etc., etc.: Vol. I., Sphinges and 

 Bombyces. London: Gurney and Jackson, i Paternoster Row: 1892. 



This forms a large volume of 950 pages, including the Sphinges and 

 Bombyces of the world, and brought down to May r, 1892. There are 

 twenty-nine families recognized, of which the Sphingidse form the twenty- 

 first, preceded by the Notodontidae and followed by the Bombycidae. 

 The Castniidae head the list, including as the only North American species, 

 the genus Megathymus, heretofore classed among the butterflies. The 

 genus Lagoa, which Dr. Packard has recently proposed should form the 

 type of a new family, is placed in the Liparidae, between Parorgyia and 

 Orgyia, a most peculiar location. A number of names, long since referred 

 to the synonymy, reappear under their original generic titles in a very mis- 

 leading manner, as, for example, Arctia bimacidata Saunders, placed be- 

 tween A. f-pallida Stets. and A. Nais Dru., in the genus Apantesis Walk. 

 One would hardly look for Crocata quinaria here. On page 36 is a 

 curious error, whereby the noctuid genus Euedwardsia, Grote, proposed 

 for Xanthotrix Neumoegeni, Hy. Edw., is made to stand for Edwardsia 

 brillians, Neum. As both generic names are thus pre-occupied, 

 the Agaristid genus may be known as Enpseudomorpha But errors of this 

 kind are hard to avoid in a work of the size of this one ; and the arrange- 

 ment of the moths of the world under a uniform system of classification 

 makes possible a revision of our North American species to correspond 

 with it. The correction of certain errors in the location of species, with 

 which Mr. Kirby is necessarily autoptically unacquainted, can easily be 

 made, and Mr. Neumoegen and myself have already started on this work. 



Harrison G. Dyar. 



Mailed January 5th. 



