326 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 
thirteen var. valesina).—Mr. Step, the fungus Russula adusta, with 
its parasite, another fungus, Nyctalis parasitica.—Mr. South, for Mr. 
Baxter, a Luperina sp.* from St. Annes-on-Sea, Lanes, and read 
notes on L. testacea and its forms and allies, and also an interesting 
series of Peronea variegana and its named forms.—Mr. H. Moore, a 
second brood (?) specimen of Spzlosoma lubricepeda from Deptford, 
Sept. 18th; and two instances of Miillerian mimicry, Helsconius 
telesiphe and Colenis telesiphe, and Victorina steneles and EH. dido 
from South America.— Mr. Noad Clark read a paper ‘“‘A Few Stray 
Notes on Ticks,” and showed a large number of very admirable 
lantern-slides.—H. J. Turner, Hon. Report. Sec. 
RECENT LITERATURE. 
Noctuelles et Géométres d’ Europe ; Iconographie Conpléte de toutes les 
Espéces Kuropiéennes. J. Cunor. Part I. Noctuelles. Genéve. 
July, 1909. 3 fr. 75 cent. (each part). 
WE have received the first part of this work from M. Culot, and 
have much pleasure in bringing it to the attention alike of British 
collectors and of those interested in the more extended fauna of the 
Continent of Europe. The work owes its inspiration to M. Charles 
Oberthiir, of Rennes, who has already done so much splendid work 
in figuring the Lepidoptera of the world; and is intended to provide 
a reliable and accurate guide to all the Heterocera included in the 
groups under review. As scientific handbooks, there is no doubt that 
contemporary German works leave much to be desired in the matter 
of detailed accuracy of the plates. Produced at popular prices, it is 
inevitable that the figures should be lacking in that refinement and 
minute fidelity to the model which alone ensure successful identifi- 
cation of the more perplexing and difficult genera. The processes 
adopted by the publishers allow little scope for the artist: the often 
subtle superficial differences of allied species are not seldom wholly 
lost. As M. Oberthiir says in his charming preface, the ideal illus- 
trator is the entomologist who is also a highly skilled artist, assisted 
in the reproduction of his work by the best machinery at the disposal 
of the printer. M. Culot, whose art is familiar to all Conti- 
nental entomologists, most happily unites these qualifications, and 
the two plates before us, plate i. of Noctuas, Acronyctas, &c., and 
plate i. of Geometers (‘‘Emeralds’’) are the dernier cri of hand- 
colour engraving. M. Oberthiir believes that not a few of his com- 
patriots are deterred from extending their entomological researches 
into the Heterocera by reason of the difficulties experienced by 
collectors in getting their captures named and classified. ‘‘ There is, 
however,” he proceeds to say, ‘a fortunate country where such com- 
plaints have no raison détre, and that is England. Entomology 
flourishes there; and entomologists are ever growing more active in 
the field, and more numerous.”” We have the monographs of Charles 
Barrett and Mr. J. W. Tutt, he points out, affording abundant 
material for the student, while many public collections are open to 
|* Since determined as L. gueneei, Doubleday (see antea, p. 289).—Ep | 
