lviii 
Survey, once saw a bird dart after an Archippus butterfly, seize it, 
and immediately drop it, uneaten. Mr. Lugger picked up the 
butterfly, and was much puzzled at the time to account for this 
singular action of the bird. 
A characteristic feature of the past year is the number of 
valuable catalogues, lists, and monographs that have appeared. 
Our own Society has issued, as a second instalment of the 
‘Catalogue of British Insects, a Catalogue of the Aculeate 
Hymenoptera, by Mr. Frederick Smith. Mr. Edward Saunders 
has given us a compact and useful catalogue of all the described 
species of the extensive and beautiful family of Buprestide, and 
has furnished it with an excellent index. 
The Vicomte de Bonvouloir has published the first part of his 
long-expected Monograph of the Hucnemide, in which he has given 
careful descriptions of the species in this difficult family, accom- 
panied by exquisitely-engraved figures of nearly half of them. A 
few years ago Lacordaire enumerated only 70 described species : 
the present Monograph contains 450. 
Dr. Thorell, one of the Professors of Zoology in the University 
of Upsala, is publishing an elaborate critical work on Huropean 
spiders. The book is written in English, and the first part, 
which appeared in 1870, contains some observations on Zoological 
nomenclature, to which subject the author has devoted much 
attention. He refers to the old British Association rules with 
general approval, but differs from them on some important points. 
He holds the law of priority as absolute, under a few definite 
restrictions. 1. There must be definition or description, and 
publication. A recognizable figure of a species he considers 
sufficient, but of a genus there must be a description pointing out 
the generic characters. He says, ‘“‘“A new genus that has been 
distinguished merely by referring to some particular species of an 
older genus as its type, without in any way indicating which of 
the characteristics of the species is to be considered as the mark 
of the new genus, no one can indeed be looked upon as bounden 
to acknowledge.” He adds, ‘‘ Nevertheless it appears to me 
advisable to do so, especially if the species referred to deviate in 
any generally known manner from the typical species of the old 
genus, and always if the new genus has been once received and 
acknowledged.” 2. As to how far back the application of the law of 
