i 



305 '"^ 



BIBLIOGRAPHICAL NOTICE. 



T^e Natuml History of the Tineina. By H. T. Stainton ; as- 

 sisted by Prof. Zeller, J. W. Douglas, and Prof. Frey. 8vo, 

 Vols. IV. to VII. London, Van Voorst, 1859-1862. 



As several years have elapsed since we announced the appearance 

 of the first volume of this important entomological work, and de- 

 scribed its general characters, it may perhaps not be amiss to refresh 

 our readers' memories upon these points. Mr. Stainton's object in 

 the * Natural History of the Tineina ' is not only to describe the 

 insects of that group and to unravel their synonymy, neither of which 

 are very easy tasks, but also to furnish a full account of their natural 

 history. With this view the species of each genus are brought 

 together as much as possible, in face of the difficulty of always 

 ascertaining the entire history of the allied species ; the appearance 

 of each species in its different states, its habits, and mode of life are 

 described in detail ; the times of its making its appearance, both iu 

 the larval and in the perfect form, are indicated; its geographical 

 distribution in this country and on the Continent is given ; and, 

 finally, its synonymy is fully discussed. In the general remarks on 

 each genus of which the species are noticed, we find the structural 

 characters of the insects in their different stages, followed by a ge- 

 neral view of the habits of the species of the genus, their number 

 and distribution. In each genus the author gives a list, often in a 

 tabular form, of all the known species, together with a classified 

 catalogue of the food-plants of all their known larvae, appending to 

 each plant the names of the species which feed upon it. The generic 

 details are closed by a literary history of the genus, showing the 

 gradual progress of our knowledge of the species and their habits. 

 So much for the general plan of the work, which is executed with a 

 degree of conscientious care and an evident striving after perfection 

 such as are unfortunately rare in the productions of our English 

 entomologists. Its value to the student of the Lepidoptera is greatly 

 increased by the beautiful plates with which it is illustrated : each 

 of these contains figures of the larvae and perfect insects of three 

 species, accompanied by representations of the leaves of the plants as 

 eaten by the larvae, and of the cases in which some of them dwell 

 and undergo their transformations. The earlier plates were drawn 

 and lithographed by the late Mr. W. Wing, whose early and lamented 

 death deprived entomologists of one of their most talented artists ? 

 the subsequent illustrations have been drawn and engraved with equal 

 accuracy and elegance by Mr. E. W. Robinson, and in the way of 

 entomological figures they leave little or nothing to be desired. 



There is one curious feature in the book, to which we adverted at 

 some length on its first appearance, namely, that the text (which, we 

 may observe, is given gratuitously, the work being published at the 

 cost of the plates) is in four languages — English, French, German, 

 and Latin. Without entering into the question whether the useful*, 

 ness of such a book as this is increased by this multiplication of ita 



Ann, ^Mag. N. Hist, Ser. 3. Vol, x. 21 



