NOTES ON COLLKCTING. 813 



pupa, the moth ajipcariuj^ towards the cud of July and throuf^h- 

 out August aud ScptcnibcT. The imagines are rarely seen on the wing, 

 and then only when disturbed by a strong light being brought. 

 near to them. They are so sluggish that a female moth that I kejjt 

 under observation dried her wings on the cocoon from wliich 

 she had emerged, remained there until a male moth })aired with 

 her, and afterwards deposited her eggs in the same sjiot, thus never 

 leaving the place where she tirst assumed the imago state. I only 

 find them m one corner of our rooms, aud they do not yet seem to 

 have affected any other part of the building. The caterpillar is white 

 or pale yellowish in colour, with a reddish-pink tinge along the back. 

 There were some hundreds this year, and if the rooms were left uucleaned 

 I am sure many thousands would be located here in a few years. In 

 September, when the first eggs are dejjosited, some of the larvae feed 

 up (juickly and pupate, the imagines emerging and the eggs that are 

 laid later hatching out, but when quite young, the larvie ap])ear to 

 hybernate more or less perfectly throughout the winter months, feeding 

 up in the early summer and a])pearing as imagines in August and 

 September, as I have before noticed. It is evident that we shall have to 

 keep a sharp look out after the in.sect to prevent it l)ecoming a regular 

 pest. — Thomas Crennell, 47, Athole Street, Douglas. 



JS^EYIEWS AND NOTICES OF BOOKS. 



British Lepidoptera, By J. W. Tutt, F.E.S.. — This new work 

 (the first volume of which will shortly be published by subscription) 

 will contain a series of preliminary chapters (of a technical nature) on 

 the following subjects : — 



I. The origin of the Lepidoptera. II. The ovum. III. The embryology of 

 a lepidopterou.s insect. IV. rarthenogenesis in Lepidoptera. V. The external 

 structure of the lepidopterous larva. YI. The internal structure of the lepi- 

 dopterous larva. VII. Variation of imagines of Lepidoptera. VIII. Protective 

 coloration and defensive structures of lepidopterous larvae. IX. Classification 

 of the Lepidoptera. 



Besides these chapters (which occupy 112 pp., 8vo.), each super- 

 family, family and genus is dealt with from the widest standpoint, 

 containing a review of these gi'oups in their world-wide characters and 

 distribution. The genera are diagnosed, and the species (about lt»U) 

 are each dealt with under the following headings : — 



I. Synonymy. II. Original description. III. Imago. IV, Sexual dimor- 

 phism. V. Variation. VI. Comparison with allied species. VII. Egg and egg- 

 laying. VIII. Habits of larva. IX. Larva. X. Cocoon. XL Pupa. XII. De- 

 hiscence of pupa. XIII. Food-plants. XIV. Parasites. XV. Habits and habitat. 

 XVI. Time ot appearance. XVII. Localities (British). XVIII. Distribution. 



The i)reliminary chapters contain all the most recent work that has 

 been published in the various branches dealt with, and, no doubt, much 

 will be entirely new to British le])idoptcrists. The leading i)a])ers by 

 Dyar and others have l)een ])riefly summarised, and thus the terminology 

 so fre(iuently used by advanced specialists in our magazines can be 

 referred to with ease, whilst the chai)ter on "Classification" is an 

 attempt to embody the views of those specialists who have attacked 

 the subject from different points of study, relating to the f'^i:^, larva, 

 pui)a, etc. In the systematic portion of the work the help of many 

 sjiecialists has been obtained. For the Synonymy, Lord Walsingham, 



