884 THE entomologist's record. 



Various collaborators have undertaken the work in the different 

 families and genera, and we get practically a short digest of the results 

 arrived at, which in the case of the more recently thoroughly worked 

 out groups is of very great use and interest. For a work of this class 

 we do think the families should have been better defined. Here is the 

 characterisation of the Xi/iniihalidae: ''The butterflies have the forelegs 

 in both sexes atrophied." There is a lot of other useful information 

 vouchsafed, chiefly as regards the habits of the family, but it does not 

 help the man who wants to know if his butterfly h a Xi/Diphalid. The 

 treatment of the different groups is of varying value. The genera 

 Farnassiiis and Xe/itis by Stichel, and the genus Krchia by Eiffinger, 

 are all very carefully done, and should be of considerable value to those 

 who study these difiicult groups. The separation of many of the 

 skippers, or (injpocera as they are here called, is not nearly complete 

 enough. In the present state of our knowledge the Gnjpoccm are 

 perhaps the most difficult of all to name, yet we have but 24 pages of 

 printed matter for the well over 200 forms discussed. We admit that 

 Mons. P. Mabille had one of the most difficult sections to deal with, 

 but we expect that in the rush to get the volume completed he was 

 unduly hurried. At the conclusion of each family there is an alpha- 

 betical list of all the species treated, with the reference to the original 

 description. A full index of genera, species, forms and synonyms, 

 completes this most commendable book. A word must be said about 

 the Introduction. In Part 13 there appeared the first eight pages, but 

 none has since appeared to complete it, and now on a sheet of "advice" 

 to the bookbinder we are told that the one sheet ( = 8 pages) of the 

 Introduction is not to be bound in this I. volume. As this Part 13 is 

 numbered on the title page " I.," it is necessary that this matter should 

 receive general notice. In conclusion, one must mention the name of 

 Dr. Jordan, the man who is responsible for the translation of the original 

 Germaninto English. Let ussayatoncethatthisishighly commendable, 

 with far fewer slips than is usual in a translation of these dimensions. 

 On p. 283 under P. dispar, there is, however, a foreign tone about the 

 English in — 20 shilling — £139, i.e., nearly 90 shillings the specimens ; 

 but this is about the only case that has come under the Avriter's notice. 

 We offer our congratulations to Dr. Seitz and his numerous helpers, 

 and hope that Ave shall not have to wait so long for the other volumes 

 to be completed. — W. J. K. 



