183 



1906.] 



Thc Buttehpliss of the Bbit.su ISI.BS. Bj Richard Socih, F.E.S. 

 (Wajside and Woodland Series). London : F. Warne and Co., lUtl6. 



This latest addition to the long series of works on our British Bnlterfl.es „ ,n 

 so,ne respeets a distinct advance on all its predecessors. It is not easy to reah.e on 

 fooking at the outside of this tastefnllj got up little voUtme, that between .ts 

 covers are no fewer than 127 plates containing «0 Ufc-8i.e coloured flgu.-es of o.,r 

 native butterBies, and nearly 300 figures in black-and-white illustrating the deta.ls 

 of the life-history of nearly evc-y species. The coloured figures, while ma.ntam.ng 

 on the whole a high standard of n,eril, vary in excellence, as is perhaps .nev, able 

 with the "three-colour" process by which they are executed. Many of them 

 however, are really admirable, and we would call special attention to Plate I, 

 fron, a beautiful drawing by Mr. Horace Knight of the life-history of Pap.ho 

 ,nachaou, showing the under-sides of both sexes of the perfect insect, as one of 

 the ve.-y best wc have ever seen. Equally good, if not even super.or to th.s, are 

 so.ne of the black-and-white plates, those of the under-sides of Pararge meg^ra 

 and Ca^«o,,y,npha pamphilu., especially the latter, reproducing the character and 

 text„,-e of the insects with .narvellous fidelity. In the case of so.ne spec.es as 

 Lyc:ena Icaru., .nore than a dozen figures are given, and many interest..,g var.et.es 

 and aberrations of this and other species find a place in the coloured plates. The 

 illusfations of the life-histories of the species form a most valuable feature of ^e 

 book, of which it is quite safe to say that our butterflies have never before bee,, so 

 well and amply illustrated as in this little pocket volume. Turning to the letter- 

 press, the name of the author is a suflicient guarantee of its soundness and 

 accuracy, though of necessity the notices of each species are brief and condensed. 

 Mr South makes no effort at technical or so-called " scientific wrrt.ng, but d.s- 

 courses of his subject m a plcasa.,t and easy style, while his introductory ..marks 

 convey in a very small space a large amount of useful general and pract.cal .nfor- 

 mation. We should have liked to have seen a more extended synonym.e l.st (w.th 

 the authors' names attached to the species and principal varieties) placed .n a more 

 prominent position in the book, instead of being relegated to the end; a.td the 

 popular or so-called " English" names appear to us to have an undue precedence 

 over those by which Entomologists recognise the species. These are, however, only 

 minor drawbacks to an excellent little work, which will, we feel sut-e, rece.ve a 

 hearty welcome from the advanced student, no less than from the beg...ner It .s 

 by no means an easy task to write a satisfactory book on our Brrt.sh Butterfl.es, 

 a;.d we may congrat..late the author very heartily on the successful manner m 

 which he has carried out his undertaking. 



Eepokt op the Hopb PEOFESaoE OP ZooioaT, 1905. Edited by Ei>wiED 

 B. POCLTON, D.SC, M.A., F.R.S., Hope Professor of Zoology in the Un.vers.ty ot 

 Oxford (P.-inted for private circulation). 



The "Hope Department" of the Oxford University Museum has for some 

 years past been recognised as one of the chief modern centres of Entomolog.cal 

 activity and research, and the annual reports issued by the learned and energet.o 

 Professor at its head, are important landmarks in the progress of the science, ihe 



