106 Miscellaneous. 



Note on Thomas Martyns ' Psyche^ 1797. 

 By C. Daties Sherborn, F.Z.S. 



The impression of Martyn's ' Psyche, or figures of nondescript 

 Lepidopterous Insects or rare Moths and Butterflies from different 

 parts of the World,' London, ] 797, folio, was limited to ten copies. 

 There is a note to this effect in the Banksian copy initialed by 

 H. H. B., and the statement also occurs in Lowndes and other 

 writers. 



The book consists of a line-engraved titlepage, followed by thirty- 

 two copper-plates, very faintly engraved in stipple — perhaps a mere 

 guide to the colourist, as may be seen in Mr. Sahnn's copy. The 

 first four plates have numbers very faintly stippled in the top left 

 corner, the remainder are unnumbered. 



Three examples of text are known to me, all consisting of sign. B, 

 " Advice," pp. 1-4 ; sign. B, " Avis," pp. 1-4 ; sign. C, pp. 5 and 6, 

 — sign. C, pp. 5 and 6, being descriptions of Papilio anndius, Papilio 

 myrina (p, 5), and Papilio sessonia (p. 6) in English and in French : 

 that is to say, altogether 6 pp. in English and 6 pp. in French, 

 descriptive of pis. 1 and 2. The remainder of the plates have in 

 the four copies I have seen, and which are probably in the original 

 bindings, the names and localities of the insects written in ink 

 on the plates themselves or on the interleaving fly-sheets. 



I regard this book as a manuscript, for, with the exception of 

 three species, the rest are apparently all manuscript names ; but as 

 the book seems to be quoted by Lepidopterologists, I have in my 

 'Index Animalium' referred to the species in square brackets 

 as MS. for their convenience. 



Here follows a coUation of the various copies I have seen or 

 about which I have been able to obtain information : — 



L British Museum. George III.'s copy (37 f. 13). — On large paper. 

 Title, no text, 32 plates. Xamcs on flj'-leaves. 



2. British Museum (444 f. 7). Said to be Sir J. Banks's copy. 



Was the Towneley copy referred to in Lowndes's ' Biblio- 

 grapher's Manual' as having been sold for £1 Is., and still 

 has the well-known Ex Libris of John Towneley Esq. — Title, 

 no text, pis. 1-28, 30-32 ; pi. 29 is missing and pi. 32 is 

 smeared and partly ruined. 



3. Eadcliffe Library, Oxford. — Title, no text, 32 pis. Names on 



the fly-leaves. 



4. Osbert Salvin's copy. — On vellum, with a -yi^inch gold line 



tooled round each plate. Title, no text, 32 pis. Pis. 5, 15, 

 20, and 22 supplied in facmynile from the Janson copy. 

 Names at the bottom of each plate. The interest of this 

 magnificent copy lies in the fact that an additional figure 

 (unnamed) occurs on pi. 24, not seen in any other. 



5. Van de Poll's copy, formerly E. W. Janson's. — Title, no text, 



32 pis. Names in ink on the fly-sheets. [From information 

 by memory of those who have seen it ; neither Mr. Van do 

 Poll nor Mr. Janson has responded to my letters.] 



