Bil>l{ogrnphical Xotice. 167 



BIBLIOGKAPHICAL NOTICE. 



CafnJotfue of the Lij>i'l()]>lt'ni I'hahnitr in Ihf British Museum. 

 Volume II. Catalofjne of the Arctiiula' (Nolinjr, LilhosiiuioD) in tlie 

 Collection of the British Must ion. J{y Sir (JKOKCJK I*'. HvMl'so.v, 

 Bart, bvo, Tp. xx, osy. riatcs.wiii.-xxxv, London : {irintcd 

 by order of the Trustees, 1900. 



The first Catalogue of Moths (Lepidojjtera Helcrocfra as they used 

 to be called, or hcpidojitcra 1'liaUeni.c as some recent authors prefer 

 to call tliem) was published in thirty-tive small volumes, \vithout 

 plates, between 1S.')4 mid b^OG, and was edited l)y the late Francis 

 Walker. 2sotwithstaiidiug the numerous errors which have fairh' or 

 unfairly been chargi d against this work, its jmblication lent an 

 enormous impetus to the study, for it enumerated upwards of 2n,(i(.l0 

 species, most of which, excejl in a portion of the Micro- Lepidoptera, 

 were describe<l, with full synonymy in the case of known species. 



But Walker's Catalogue is now quite out of date, and the earlier 

 volumes are entirely out of print, and therefore the Trustees of the 

 British Museum have jjrojected a new Catalogue covering the same 

 ground, but profusely illustrated with plates and figures (rendered 

 all the more necessary by the stringency of the official regulations, 

 which do not admit of siiecimens once registered ever being lent out 

 of the building), and have entrusted the commencement of the work 

 to Sir (Jeorge F. Hampson. We say the commencement, for though 

 Sir George is not an old man, and his energy and rapidity of work 

 are well known, it will take t^vo or three men's official lifetimes at 

 least to complete the work on the same plan, unless several men are 

 employed to work at different families at the same time. 



The two volumes which have already ap])eared (in 18t)S and 

 ll»UO) include descriptions of 2377 species, and yet the ground 

 which they cover only corresponds to a comi)aratively small portion 

 of the first two volumes of Walker's Catalogue, with the corre- 

 spopding supplements. This will Ite enough to show the enormous 

 increase in our knowledge of the subject within the last fifty years. 



Sir George is working undir very favourable circumstances, for 

 the entomological section of the nference library at South Ken- 

 sington is to all intents and jjurposes jiracticjilly comjilete ; and the 

 collection of Moths has been so largely increased lately, that it is 

 now, beyond dispute, one of the very best in the w orld, if not incon- 

 testably the best. Moreover, in the earlier families he has the 

 advantage of the assistance of Mr. Kirby'.s approximately complete 

 Catalogue of Sphinges and Bombjces, j)ublished in l^!i2, and for 

 later years the ' Zoological I'ecord ' &.(;. ; so that the cliances of 

 anything important being overlooked are reduced to a minimum. 



Sir George Hampson's methods of work arc so similar in all his 

 publications that those who have seen one volume of his work on 

 the ' Moths of India ' or one volume of the present series, may form 

 a fair judgment of the whole. All the species are briefiy described 

 (the bulk of the book forbids very lengthy descrij)tions, which are, 

 moreover, less necessary in the case of recognizably figured species), 



