CURRENT NOTES. 27 



clropped, or, if they are considered sound, thej' are given generic rank. 

 There is, at least, no attempt to diagnose the various sections of a 

 gi'oup under dift'erent names, show what species belong to each group, 

 and then drop the names as purposeless. 



" The egg is green and laid on cabbage." Such was the favo\irite 

 formula of our earlier entomological authors if they ever mentioned the 

 egg of the pai'ticular species of lepidoptera they were describing ; a very 

 slightly modified form is sufficient for most makers of entomological 

 books now. Buckler and Hellinsfirstcommenced to give short intelligent 

 diagnoses of the eggs of the species of lepidoptera whose biology they 

 attempted to unravel. Edwards did the same, but Scudder went much 

 further, and showed us how to describe the egg so as to bring out its 

 scientific detail. So few, however, were done when Dr. Chapman 

 attempted to show us the value of the egg-characters as an aid to 

 classification [Trans. Knt. Sac. Land., 1893), that most of us found 

 ourselves in a state of hopeless ignorance concerning the eggs of even 

 the most common species. So far as we were concerned, we found that 

 when we were collecting the material for our yatmal Histonj of British 

 jA'pidnpti'va, that practically everything had to be done, and, in our very 

 little spare time, whenever eggs of lepidoptera came our way we made 

 a few notes about them, even if only a hand lens was available, and we 

 were wandering from one place to another on our annual summer 

 holiday. This mode of work has naturally been unsatisfactory, but 

 there are many eggs of which these notes are the only descriptions 

 available. As the volumes of the Xatural HUtor<i of British Lepidop- 

 tera have totalled up, the number of species of which the eggs have 

 been fairly described has been largely increased, and, with the great 

 improvement in photography, Messrs. Noad Clark and A. E. Tonge 

 have revolutionised our ideas of these important structures. 



On the continent, Mr. Max Gillmer has continued the work as 

 opportunity has ofiered, and now we have a volume entitled Zur Mor- 

 pholofiie der Sh-andinavischen Sc/iwetterUnuseier, by Dr. -John Peyron 

 (William Wesley and Son, 28, Essex Street, Strand), dealing with the 

 eggs of a considerable number of species in a really first-class manner. 

 The author gives — (1) Literature. (2) Appearance, shape, and size of 

 egg, with outline sketches. (B) Microscopic structure. (4) Ten 

 excellent lithograph plates (i-x), chiefly dealing with the surface and 

 micropylar structure. If one excludes the references to the pictures of 

 the old masters, at least three-fourths of the other references of any 

 value whatever are to our British magazines and text-books. We 

 welcome Dr. Peyron as a most valuable addition to the small band of 

 workers who do not think the careful description of the eggs of 

 lepidoptera a matter unworthy of serious attention. 



We have just received three quite excellent papers from Count 

 Emilio Turati — (1) " Some new forms of Lepidoptera (1905) " with 

 9 plates {Xat. Sic, xviii., nos. 2-3); (2) " New forms of Lepidoptera 

 (1907) " with 6 plates (Nat. Sic, xx., nos. 1-3); (3) " New forms of 

 Lepidoptera (1909) " with 7 plates [Xat. Sir., xxi.). They are full 

 of most interesting material, which wants careful study, digestion, 

 and consideration. There is so much that wants testing with an 

 abimdance of material, and there is a great deal more that will have to 

 be brought into line with work already done, and herein appears to lie 

 the weakness of Count Turati's work, viz., he seems to be altogether 

 wanting in a knowledge of the literature of many of the species with 



