154 BihUo(jrai)hical Nuticcs. 



BIBLIOGKAPHICAL NOTICES. 



Rhopalocera ^-Ethiopica. Die Tagfalter des u^tliiopischen Faunen- 

 gebietes. Eive sysiematisch-geographische Studie. Von Chb. 

 Atjritillius. Mit 6 Tafeln. Der Konigl. Akademie der Wissen- 

 schaften vorgelegt den 8 Juni 1898. {Kongh Svenska Veten- 

 skaps-Akademiens Handlinyar, Bandet 31, No. 5.) Stockholm, 

 1898 (correctly, 1899). Pp. 561. 

 Die Lepidopteretifauna des Bismarck-Ajrhijyeh. Yon Dr. Arnold 

 Pagenstechek! Erstcr Theil : Die TagfaJter. Mit '2 color. Tafeln. 

 (Zoologica, Reh 27 .) Stuttgart, 1899. Pp.160. 

 Orthopteren des Malayischeii Arcliipels, gesammelt von Prof. Dr. W. 

 Kdkenthal in den Jahren 1893 und 1894, bearbeitet von Brunner 

 VON Wattj:nwyl, unter BeriicJcsicfitigujig neuer verwandter Species. 

 Mit fiinf Tafeln. (Abhandl. d. Senckenbergischen natarforsclienden 

 OeseJlschuft, Baud xxiv. Heft 2.) Frankfort- ou-Main, 1898. 

 Pp. 193-288. 

 A PROMINENT feature of learned Transactions and other Conti- 

 nental scientific publications in quarto is the encouragement which 

 they offer to the issue of large and important works on Ento- 

 mology, which would otherwise perhaps never see the light, and 

 which are often accompanied with more fitting illustrations than 

 would be possible on octavo plates, which are frequently too small 

 to represent large insects properly. AVe have grouped three such 

 publications together in the present notice. 



Sweden has always been prominent in the study of African Lepi- 

 doptera. Many species from North, West, and South Africa are 

 described in Linne's ' Systema Naturae ' ; and the {)apers by Wallen- 

 gren and Zeller on the species collected by Wahlberg In Caffraria, 

 and i^ublished just about the time when Mr. Trimen first went out 

 to the Cape, may be said to have inaugurated a new era in our 

 studies. And now Prof. Aurivillius has given us a synopsis of the 

 butterflies of the whole of Ethiopia Africa and Madagascar, 

 numbering at present 1612 species — a total sure to be largely 

 increased every year, especially now that his book has rendered 

 the determination of species so easy. The Hesperiida) are not 

 included, being regarded as a separate group from the more typical 

 butterflies. 



The book is published in German, as being better known to ento- 

 mologists in general than Swedish. It could hardly be expected 

 that the species, except novelties, should be described in full ; 

 we are, however, not only given synopses of families and genera, 

 but often even of the species in the different genera, such synopses 

 being, in most cases, sufficient for identification. 



Before completing his work, Prof. AuriviUius made a tour to 

 inspect the various collections containing African butterflies, visiting 

 Denmark, Germany, Austria, Holland, Belgium, and England ; but 

 we regret that he does not appear to have met Mr. Trimen. 



A classified list of 142 works on African Lepidoptera, arranged 

 geographically, will be found very useful. 



