i6o The hish Naturalist. August, 



THE MOTHS OF THE BRITISH ISLANDS. 



A Natural History of the British Lepldoptera : a Text-book 

 for Students and Collectors. By J. W. TuTT, F.K.S. Vol. iv. (with 

 Synopsis of Contents of and General Index to Vols, i-iv.) Pp. 535, 

 portrait and 3 plates. London : Swan, Sonnenschein & Co., 1904. 

 Price, i/. net. 

 Each volume of Mr. Tutt's monumental work surprises the reader 

 by the vast amount of information which it contains, and inspires deep 

 admiration for the untiring industry of the author. As the previous 

 volumes have not been noticed in this Journal, it may be of interest to 

 give a general review of their contents. Vol. i. (published in 1899), con- 

 tains eight introductory chapters on the ^^^ and embryology of the 

 Lepidoptera, the inner and outer structure and defences of the larva, 

 and colour-variation in the imago. Then the subject of classification is 

 taken up, and Mr. Tutt gives his reasons for abandoning the schemes 

 proposed in recent years by Comstock, Dyar, Hampsbn, and Meyrick, 

 and arranging the families of the Lepidoptera in three great series or 

 stirpes — Noctuo-Hepialid, Geometro-Eriocraniid, and Sphingo-Micro- 

 pterygid. These divisions rest chiefly on the form of the ^%'g^ which 

 being largel}' an adaptive character is not reliable for the purpose of a 

 primary classification. The arrangement adopted by Mr. Tutt has the 

 practical inconvenience of leading the student up from the generalized 

 forms to the specialized families of the same " stirps," and then returning 

 to the primitive members of the next " stirps." It seems to us that the 

 more natural arrangement would be to take all those families that are 

 now universally admitted to be generalized, and to treat of them, first, 

 passing on to the higher groups afterwards. Mr. Tutt's scheme is depen- 

 dent on a special theory of phylogeny, which many morphologists will 

 be unable to accept. 



The stirps first considered is the Sphingo-Micropterygid, and the sur- 

 vey of the included families takes up all the four volumes so far issued. 

 In vol. i. are described the Micropterygidse, Nepticulidae, Cochlididae, 

 and Anthroceridse. Vol. ii. (published 1900), contains five most valuable 

 introductory chapters on the metamorphosis of the Lepidoptera, with 

 special reference to the external and internal structure and phylogeny of 

 the pupa. Then the systematic treatment is continued with the Psychids 

 (considered as a "super-family" comprising several families), and an in- 

 stalment of the Lachneidse (Eggar-moths). The account of the little- 

 known Psychids, filling over 300 pages, is particularly admirable and 

 valuable. In vol. iii. (published 1902), the Eggar-moths are finished, our 

 single species of the Dimorphidae (Endromidae), and of the Saturniidae 

 are surveyed, and the Sphingids are commenced. The fourth volume 

 now before us concludes the Sphingids. 



The thoroughness with which Mr. Tutt's work has been done will be 

 appreciated from the fact that the thirteen species described in this 

 volume have over 500 pages devoted to them. Many British students of 

 the Hawk-moths will be surprised to see nearly every species placed in 

 a distinct genus — elpenor^ for example, is separated from porcellus, livornica 



