PREFACE 



The present brief description of the butterflies 

 of this district, was undertaken to supply a 

 long-felt want amongst practical entomologists. 



No work of the kind has been attempted 

 since the publication, nearly thirty years ago, 

 of Milliere's now scarce Catalogue raisonne des 

 Lepidopteres da departement des Alpes-Maritimes. 

 This latter, though invaluable as far as it goes, 

 is by no means comprehensive, and is often not 

 reliable. Further; the taxonomy and nomencla- 

 ture are obsolete. In some instances, species cited 

 as belonging to the fauna of the department 

 are found, on closer investigation to be 

 erroneously considered so. This is, no doubt, 

 due to the fact of that eminent lepidopterist 

 having often accepted information on these 

 points without having substantiated it. 



As regards classification and naming. I have 

 thought it best, in the present work, to follow 

 that adopted by Dr 0. Staudinger of Dresden, 

 in his well-known Catalogue, as being the most 

 complete and that generally used by European 

 entomologists. Several species from the Pyrenees 

 and North jrn Italy are found in the Maritime 



