1885.] 279 



HlSTOIEE NATUEELLE DE LA FeANCE : — H:^MIPTEEES : par L. FaiEMAIEE, 

 Ex-President de la Societe Entomologique de France. Paris : E. Deyrolle, 1884, 

 Svo, 206-pp., 9 plates. 



Under the general title " Musee scolaire Deyrolle," there is now in course of 

 publication a series of treatises on the Natural History of France, the term 

 " Natural History " being used in its widest sense, so as to include Zoology, Botany, 

 Geology, Palaeontology, and Mineralogy. The series will comprise 23 volumes, of 

 which 6 are devoted to Insects, and of these 3 {Coleoptera, Lepidoptera, Memiptera) 

 have already appeared. The purpose of the series is explained in the prospectus : — 

 " It is not enough to say to founders that they should form a school-museum, 

 instruct pupils to distinguish useful or hurtful animals, or for-n collections of plants 

 or minerals ; they must furnish the learners with works which will enable them to 

 determine with ease and certainty the large quantity of such objects found in 

 France. In order to accomplish this end, acknowledged Savans have been very 

 willing each to treat a class or order in such a manner as to render the study of the 

 natural sciences accessible to all, and to diminish the inherent difficulties of the 

 science, which includes the whole of Nature." Without any disparagement to the 

 many excellent works already existing in this country, we should yet like to see a 

 series of treatises on this model in English, not only in general use in schools, as in 

 France, but also for the instruction of children of larger growth, who are, as a rule, 

 sadly in want of such knowledge, of which we had a fine instance lately {vide p. 63, 

 ante). Then also we might hope to enlist some more capable recruits into the ranks 

 of the volunteers, if not into the regular line of the array of scientific research. 



The volume on Hemiptera is more than elementary, in conformity with the 

 scope of the design of the series, for it not only sets forth the principles of 

 classification, but also the characters of genera and species in concise yet sufficient 

 form, the typical, and often all the species of a genus being described. As is fitting 

 in such a work as this there is no novelty, except that, instead of two, three 

 primary divisions — Heteropteres, Homopteres, and Sternorhynques are adopted, 

 and the limits of genera are advantageously enlarged ; but we are not disposed to 

 favour the total omission of the names of previous workers — even the names of the 

 authors of specific descriptions— for thus, as far as this volume is concerned, the 

 learner would necessarily believe that the whole was the original work of the author. 

 This, perhaps, has been intentional, so as to divest the work in the eyes of the 

 young of the deterrent appearance of great knowledge beyond their reach, and yet, 

 as conveying an untrue impression, it is a mistake. The figures on the plates 

 deserve special commendation for their accuracy and artistic finish. Only a very 

 extensive sale can compensate for the production of such a volume as this at the 

 price. 



The Butteeelibs op Noeth. Ameeica: by W. H. Edwaeds. Second 

 series ; part xiii. Boston : Houghton, Mifflin, & Co. London : Triibner & Co. 

 1885. 



In the number of this Magazine for August, 1868 (vol. v, p. 79), we criticised 



