1896.] Mew Books on British Zoology. 289 



It will be seen that out of the eighteen British species in this family 

 Messrs. Kirby and Tutt are in agreement only as to the names of ten. 

 Whether Lyacna belongs to the " Large Copper" or the " Large Blue" is 

 a matter of perfect indifference ; but this uncertainty in nomenclature 

 will be used as an excuse by many conservatively-disposed naturalists for 

 holding to the old familiar names. It is the more deplorable since, ex- 

 cept in one instance, the two authorities are in entire agreement as to the 

 generic divisions. 



In the systematic part of the work, Mr. Tutt arranges the families in a 

 somewhat new sequence. The Hesperiidce — undoubtedly the lowest 

 group— naturally come first, and the Satyridcv are placed at the top. The 

 LyccTiiidcc which, in Bates' scheme, come between the Pieridcz and Lemonidct 

 on account of the normal development of all three pairs of legs, are 

 inserted by Mr. Tutt immediately after the Hesperiidcv, so that the Nym- 

 phalidic may follow the Pierida, these two last families showing much 

 similarity in pupal structure. It is doubtful if Mr, Tutt's removal of 

 Apafura iris from the NyDiphalidiC to the Satyridiv will meet with general 

 acceptance. He points out that the caterpillar shows satyrid affinities, 

 but it must be remembered that the larval stage in all lepidoptera must 

 have undergone much adaptive modification. 



In spite of a tirade against the use of English names for species, Mr. 

 Tutt heads his chapters with such titles as " Coppers, Blues, and Hair- 

 streaks," ' Swallow-tails, Whites, and Clouded Yellows." A decided flaw 

 in these descriptive chapters is the want in several instances of definite 

 diagnoses of the genera; the fact that many of the genera used are new 

 to most British lepidopterists should have made their justification 

 specially desirable. We could better have spared the long lists of named 

 aberrations and varieties ; and with respect to these, nothing but con- 

 fusion to the student can result from Mr. Tutt's frequent plan of giving 

 a list of several varietal forms, and then, after a paragraph of general 

 remarks, another list with a new series of numbers. The treatment of 

 Colias ediisa on p. 259 is a case in point. 



The ^^%., larva, and pupa of each species are described in detail, Irish 

 naturalists will be glad to know that one of their most isolated brethren, 

 Mr. J. J. Wolfe, of Skibbereen, has been able to supply Mr. Tutt with 

 valuable information on the transformation of several species of butterfly. 

 The time of appearance of each insect is, of course, given, and a set of 

 valuable tables indicate the months occupied by the various stages of 

 the life-cycle of each species, together with the food-plants and method 

 of pupation. The distributional notes are in many cases imperfect. 

 We miss such recent Irish records as Mr. Dillon's captures oi Argvnnis 

 adippe and Polyojuinatus astrarche var. artaxerxes at Clonbrock. And the 

 statement that Vanessa polychloros haunts the " outskirts of woods " will 

 not help the student who wdshes to trace its British range. 



We can heartily endorse the author's praise of the plates drawn by 

 Mr. W, A. Pearce, and excellently reproduced. The figures are far more 

 life-like than many coloured representations of insects. It is irritating 



