144 '^^^^ Irish Nahirah'sf, July, 190S. 



Cornwall, Cumberland ! This, if a minor blemish, detracts needlessly 

 from the value of Mr. Tutt's marvellously thorough work. 



Each of the five British " hairstreaks " is placed by ]\Ir. Tutt in a distinct 

 genus. According to his nomenclature they are to be called Callophrys 

 riibi, Chattevdenia lu-albuvi, Strynion pruni, Biihys quernts and Ruralis 

 hetiiliB. The separation oi riibi — the only species of the group common in 

 Ireland— from the other Palaearctic species of the old genus Thecla, has 

 been generally accepted for several years past, and is doubtless warranted 

 by the distinctive characters afforded by imago, larva, and egg-shell. 

 The genus of w-a/(5//w— called Edwardsia by Mr. Tutt in the text of the 

 volume, and Chittendenia (Edwardsia being pre-occupied) in a corrigen- 

 dum at the end — is separated from that of prtmi on somewhat slight 

 characters, these two species falling into a natural tribe (Strymonidi), 

 while the genera of quemis and hetuUv belong to a third distinct tribe 

 (Ruralidi). It is to be hoped that this last division will be allowed to 

 retain the familiar name, Theclidi, Thecla being apparently the type of 

 hetiilcE^ though Mr. Tutt's discussion on the subject must convince any 

 reader how utterly vain and unprofitable is the striving after what is 

 called "priority" in nomenclature, because though the systematists 

 profess to agree about the rules to be observed, they differ altogether as 

 to the practical application of these rules. It is a point of interest to 

 Irish naturalists that while Callophrys rubi is widespread in Ireland, 

 Bithys quercits and Thecla betiila are confined to the south and west, and the 

 two British Strymonidi are altogether absent. We can support therefore, 

 from a geographical standpoint, Mr. Tutt's grouping of the hair- 

 streak species. The two '* blues " included in the volume are Lanipides 

 boeticiis, that widespread migrant species of which stra}- individuals have 

 occurred from time to time in southern England, and Cekaslnna (usually 

 called Cyaniris) argiolus, the " Holly Blue," which has a wide distribution 

 in Ireland. 



In the case of every species Mr. Tutt gives, as in the former volume, a 

 full account of the life-history, habits and variation. The larval structure 

 is very fully described, and a large amount of original observation sup- 

 plements the author's extensive reading, so that nothing like so full an 

 account of the early stages of the species included in the volume has 

 ever been published before. The plates are for the most part well repro- 

 duced photographs by Messrs. Clarke, Main and Touge, showing the 

 butterflies, larvse, pupae and eggs ; man}' of these photographs are 

 evidentlj* from live specimens, and reflect great credit on the artists. 

 There are also photomicrographs of the characteristic spines and 

 tubercles of the larval and pupal cuticle. Only in Cyaniris ai-gioliis is the 

 genital armature figured ; some illustrations of structural details of the 

 imago in all the species would have added greatly to the value of the 

 work — high as that value undoubtedly is. All scientific students of the 

 Eepidoptera will hasten to study Mr. Tutt's volume, and will look forward 

 eagerly to the publication of its successor. 



G. H, C. 



