178 



NEW WORKS ON ENTOMOLOGY. 



Compared with all previously existing works on the same sub- 

 ject what a gigantic undertaking does it seem ! 



This work, as its title page informs us, serves as a Text, Re- 

 vision and Supplement to Hiibner's rive volumes of Plates of 

 the Lepidoptera of Europe. Hiibner's work contains 790 coloured 

 Plates, and Dr. Herrich-Schaffer now offers this valuable work 

 (rendered even more valuable by his own critical remarks on the 

 figure?) at the reduced price of £30. 



Descriptions of all the species hitherto detected in Europe, with 

 remarks on their times of appearance, localities, and food plants ; 

 analytical tables of many of the genera and families ; and the 

 genera all characterized more or less critically ; are sufficient to 

 show that the letter-press has not been neglected, and that, though 

 the magnificence and accuracy of many of the figures leaves 

 nothing to be desired, the work has high claims to our attention for 

 the intrinsic value of the letter-press. 



We do not agree with Dr. Herrich-Schaffer in his Systematic 

 arrangement ; therefore we can the less be suspected of praising his 

 work because it reflects our views. Indeed some parts of the 

 arrangement appear to us fanciful and erroneous in the extreme ; 

 but it does not follow because we are unable to appreciate the 

 novelties in the system here developed, that they really are 

 blemishes. And certainly there is a conscientiousness about the 

 work which we seek for in vain in the descriptive publications of 

 Treitschke, Duponchel or Stephens. Herrich-Schaffer may not 

 always have succeeded in his attempts, but his work impresses us with 

 the conviction that he has earnestly worked at his subject. We 

 do not find that towards the end it is written in a careless or 

 slovenly manner. 



Unfortunately so few of our British collectors study the Le- 

 pidoptera of Europe, that the sale of this magnificent work must 

 always be very limited in this country. The large proportion of 

 European Bombyces and Nociuae, which do not occur in the 

 British Isles, will deter many from purchasing this work, who, if 

 the bulk of the European species had occurred here, would have 

 been tempted to add such a literary bijou to their library. 



Of the Tortrices a much larger pooportion are common both to 

 us and to the Continent ; and in the Tinece it is only a few of the 

 European species which are not likely to be found here. 



Should it interest any one to know that the Fourth and Fifth 

 Volumes, containing the Micro- Lepidoptera, with 214 coloured 

 Plates, are to be had separately, we are commissioned* by Dr. 

 Herrich-Schaffer, to receive orders for these two volumes for £9. 



* If any one likes to favour me with an order for these two volumes, I 

 will at once write to Dr. Ii. S. to forward them here. H. T. S. 



