971 



In the remarks appended to each species Mr. Westwood very fairly 

 states his doubts of the claims of many to be considered British ; still 

 these hold a situation as prominent as those which are unquestiona- 

 bly native, and thus the tendency of the work is to perpetuate a mass 

 of error. It is now high time that our list should be remodelled : 

 there is a scientific object in a correct a,nd truthful geographical list 

 of the objects of Natural History, but our list of butterflies is totally 

 useless, being entirely devoid of truth ; it gives no idea of the diurnal 

 Lepidoptera of Britain. Mr. Westwood has shown his usual indus- 

 try in collecting together a mass of information bearing on the subject, 

 but much still remains to be done, and I confidently anticipate the 

 time when ' A History of British Butterflies,' with illustrations on 

 wood, will form a valuable and beauiifid addition to Mr. Van Voorst's 

 matchless series of works on Natural History. 



The artist's share in the work before me is extremely praiseworthy, 

 and, notwithstanding a few rather glaring exceptions, the figures are 

 on the whole natural, graceful and beautiful, always in good taste, awd 

 when the characters in the insects themselves are prominent, we al- 

 ways find them faithfully portrayed : but Mr. Humphreys does not 

 appear very profound as an entomologist, and when we come to the 

 smaller species, the distinguishing differences have not been made 

 quite sufficiently observable. Still, this is but a partial defect, and I 

 can most conscientiously recommend the work as a handsome volume 

 for the table of a drawing-room. 



The authors advertise and have already commenced a work on the 

 British Moths ; but in this I fear they have committed an error of 

 judgment. The Sphingidae and some of the larger Bombycidse are 

 easy enough, but when these are finished, and the authors have once 

 plunged into the sea of Nocture, I fear they will find themselves out of 

 their depth. A complete and illustrated work on the British nocturnal 

 Lepidoptera, would be a most arduous task, and could only be accom- 

 plished by a union of entomological talent. I would first have a 

 sj)ecies-committee, consisting of Messrs. Dale, H. Doubleday and W. 

 Bentley, and these should decide in every instance whether an indivi- 

 vidual were to be described as a species or variety ; their decision 

 should be handed to Messrs. Stephens and E. Doubleday, on whom 

 the task of joint authorship should devolve, but they should have no 

 power to interfere with the decisions of the " species-committee." 

 The illustrations should be under the sole superintendance of Mr. 

 Curtis, and every drawing should be from his own pencil, or should 

 have his entire approval. The engraving (I would have no litho- 



