1907. Reviews. 173 



Hesperia malvce and Nisoniades tages, occur in Ireland, but while the former's 

 Irish nationality rests on a single Kerry record, the latter is the only 

 "Skipper" at all widely spread in Ireland, Mr. Tutt's alphabetical ar- 

 rangement of counties does not make it easy for the student to trace its 

 Irish range, especially as Erniscorthy appears under Kerry. It should 

 be mentioned that in the account of each species, several pages are 

 devoted to "Time of Appearance," a long list of localities, both British 

 and Continental, with dates and authorities, being given. It may be 

 doubted whether these lists are at all worth the space which they occupy, 

 enormous though the labour of compiling them must have been. Pos- 

 sibly by expending much further labour the student may be able to arrive 

 at some general conclusions from all this material. In its present state 

 it must be compared to a pile of loose bricks rather than to a finished 

 building. 



Besides the admirably full details of larval stages and habits, Mr. Tutt 

 is to be especially congratulated on the section devoted to the variation 

 of each species. It may be doubted whether the naming of forms differ- 

 ing in some slight detail of pattern may not have been carried too far ; 

 there are eighteen named " varieties " and eight named " aberrations " of 

 Urbicola comma. But this precise nomenclature, if not regarded as an end 

 in itself, should be an aid to the precise study of variation, and the 

 scientific student will feel deeply grateful to Mr. Tutt for having des- 

 cribed the world-wide variation of these species that inhabit our islands. 

 For such knowledge is most needful if the study of variation within our 

 own fauna is to be fruitful of result. 



The family Ruralidse of Mr. Tutt (= Lyceenidse of authors) is placed 

 by him in a « superfamily " Ruralides, along with the Lemoniidse 

 (Erycinidte), and this arrangement will meet with general acceptance. 

 Only two species, the " Small Copper " and " Large Copper," are treated 

 in the present volume, but they are most fully described, nearly 90 pages 

 being devoted to the former insect, which Mr. Tutt calls Rumicia p/i/aas, 

 agreeing with Scudder that it should be generically separated from 

 Chrysophanus, of which the "Large Copper," C. dispar, is the type, but 

 considering Scudder's use of the name Heodes for the phlaas group in- 

 admissible. Scudder's generic diagnoses are given at length. R. phlaas 

 is a common Irish butterfly, and, with Mr. Tutt's pages before him, the 

 Irish student will be able to compare whatever forms of the species he 

 may collect with varieties from all parts of the world. The North 

 American forms, usually known as hypephlceas and americanus, are regarded 

 by Mr. Tutt as races of phlceas, so that the species has an enormous 

 range in both hemispheres. These American forms are most closely 

 matched in the European fauna by specimens from Lapland. The dark, 

 brilliantly-coloured South European form {ehus) may be closely 

 approached by specimens captured in south-eastern England, or may be 

 imitated by subjecting pupae, the offspring of British phlaas, to a warm 

 temperature during the critical stage of their development. 



Few entomologists of the present generation will fail to be interested 

 by Mr. Tutt's full historical account of the famous "Large Copper" 



A 3 



