216 THE entomologist's record. 



be inserted and that it should be quite up-to-date as to the latest 

 observations and results. One item, which is certainly unique in 

 works of this kind, is a detailed summarj^ of Sphingid hj'brids with 

 plates by Dr. P. Denso, who is so well known as an ardent student in 

 this branch of research. In his introductory remarks Dr. Seitz notes 

 that he uses the name Bombyces in no scientific sense, but as a 

 useful comprehensive term to indicate those groups of Lepidoptera- 

 Heterocera not belonging to the Sphingids, Noctuids, Geometers, or 

 Micros. 



In the arrangement of the matter one paragraph is given to each 

 form which is considered to be a species, and included are all the 

 named varieties of the species with the more common and 

 conspicuous aberrations. But the author states that he has 

 omitted from the text a large number of names of aberrations, the 

 inclusion of which would have enormously increased the bulk of the 

 work without proportionately increasing its usefulness to the general 

 student. We can quite understand this latter statement, when we 

 recall to mind that Pamassius apallo has elsewhere credited to it con- 

 sidarably more than one hundred named forms, and that this list is 

 constantly increasing. As regard the nomenclature, the author has 

 kept "essentially to the law of priority," and has given only the 

 absolutely necessary synonymy. The genera are used as a rule in a 

 w^de sense, just as in Vol. I. Enodia and Hipparchia were suppressed 

 in Sati/rKu, and Melanipias in Erebia. This is not so in all groups; in 

 the difficult Familj'^, Psyckichr, for instance, the detailed subdivision 

 into genera is given, probably because these species are of much older 

 ancestry than the other included groups, and hence they fall into the 

 more disconnected and fragmentary sections, which must be indicated 

 by named genera. 



In the introductory remarks we are informed that subsequent to 

 the completion of the sixteen volumes containing the various families, 

 a further volume will be issued. Vol XVII., which will contain articles 

 on the Physiology, Biology, and Preservation of Lepidoptera, besides 

 the addenda of species added to the various fauna during the progress 

 of the work. This volume will be extremely useful in manj' ways, 

 although we question whether space should be given to the consideration 

 of Preservation a subject treated at length in all elementary works. We 

 think the space might be better employed. For instance, we should like 

 to see the opinions of the various authors as to classification, unified in 

 the last volume. Three different authors have so far written on the 

 Satyridae with the result that there are three quite different arrange- 

 ments of the genera in the Palfearctic, Indo-Malayan and American 

 Volumes, and we suppose there will be a fourth in the African Volume, 

 Presumably this occurs in the other families and one would like to see 

 an attempt made to unify these arrangements into probable phylogenetic 

 relationships, which may give the generalising student something 

 definite upon which to base his arguments and studies, rather than the 

 four groupings made irrespective of one another. 



Every Natural History Library of any pretence and all Lepidop- 

 terists should get these volumes on the Palisarctic Fauna. Nothing 

 so comprehensive and so well illustrated has ever been produced before. 

 The low price is quite incommensurate with the amount of information. 

 — H. J. T. 



