Ixviii 



disappearance of insects in places where they had previously 

 abounded have been given by Mr. Edward Waterhouse (Ent. 

 M. M. viii. 205) and Mr. Lennon (ibid. 274). 



Some curious instances of mimicry have been noticed by 

 Dr. Hagen (see Ent. M. Mag. vol. ix. p. 78), Mr. Meldola (ib. 

 p. 1G3), and Dr. Jordan (ib. viii. p. 253). 



A remarkable paper has been published by Mr. W. F. Kirby, in 

 the ' Proceedings of the Linnean Society,' in which a comparison 

 is made between the geographical distribution of the Diurnal 

 Lepidoptera and birds, the latter as shown by Dr. Sclater's paper 

 on the geographical distribution of the members of the class Aves, 

 in the second volume of the same work. The following is a 

 concise summary of the comparison thus made : — 



Birds. Butterflies. 

 Total number of species ... - 7500- 7700 



1. Palsearctic Kegion (Europe, North Asia, 



Persia, Asia Minor and North Africa) - 050 C30 



2. ^.Ethiopian or Western Palseotropical Region 



(Central and Southern Africa, Madagas- 

 car, &c.) 1250 733 



3. Middle Palaeotropical Region (India and In- 



dian Archipelago) 1500 1260 



4. Australian or Western Palaeotropical Region 



(Australia) ----- 



5. Nearctic Region (North America) 



6. Neotropical Region (South America) - 



Another source of much congratulation may be alluded to, 

 although only yet in its infancy : I allude to the establishment of 

 Zoological Stations on the sea coast, suggested by Dr. Anton 

 Dohrn, and now carried out on the shore of Naples. The ad- 

 mirable memoirs of this naturalist on the development of marine 

 animals is an earnest of the good likely to result from such an 

 establishment. Nor must we overlook the establishment of 

 the Marine Aquarium of Brighton, of which I perceive by the 

 ' Athena; um' of Saturday last (January 25, 1873) that Mr. William 

 Saville Kent, of the British Museum, has been appointed Director, 

 in the place of our late friend Mr. J. K. Lord. This appoint- 

 ment is, I think, also an earnest of good work to be done there. 



* It is to be observed that Mr, G. R. Gray added considerably to this number of 

 species of birds, enumerating upwards of 11,000 species ; the relative numbers of the 

 different regions would, however, be scarcely altered. 



