200 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



RECENT LITERATURE. 



The Metamorphosis of Sisijra. By Maude H. Anthony. [' The American 

 Naturalist,' August, 1902.] Ginn & Co., Boston, U.S.A. 



In this escehent paper Miss Anthony has given an exhaustive hfe- 

 history of Sisyra umhrata, Needham, a member of a somewhat obscure 

 genus belonging to the fam. Hemerobiidae, of the sub-order Planipennia, 

 of the Linn^ean order Neuroptera. The larvte of one of the British 

 species of the genus have been found abundantly living in freshwater 

 sponge {Sponr/illa fiuviatilis). Miss Anthony finds that a freshwater 

 sponge is the food of S. umbrata, and she says that "the food so 

 obtained is so pure as to be wholly absorbed, leaving no residuum." 

 We are not, therefore, surprised to hear that at least one- fourth of the 

 posterior part of the stomach is atrophied, and that there is no opening 

 at that end. The larva is a silk-spinner, and " it seems probable that 

 the nitrogen waste of the body is used, partially at least, in the 

 manufacture of silk." In Britain we have three well distinguished 

 species of the genus — S.fuscata, S. tenninalis, and S. dalii. It is to 

 be presumed that the life-history of these differs but little from that 

 of S. umbrata, and students of our Planipennia will therefore find this 

 paper with its eighteen excellent figures of great use. 



W. J. L. 



The Butterflies and Moths of Europe. By W. F. Kirby, F.L.S., F.E.S., 

 &c. Pp. i-lxxii, 1-426. Plates, 54 coloured and 1 plain, with 

 many illustrations in the text. London : Cassell & Co., Ltd. 1903. 



A REVISED and extended edition of Mr. Kirby's well-known book, 

 which was first produced by Messrs. Cassell in 1882. Since that date 

 many species have been added to the list of European Lepidoptera, 

 and most of these — all, in fact, as regards butterflies and the larger 

 j2ioths — have been included in the present volume. Species or forms 

 of European species peculiar to Madeira and the Canary Islands are 

 also referred to. 



Arrangement and nomenclature remain pretty much as they were 

 in the first edition, and synonymy is only used where necessary to 

 avoid confusion. 



In the earlier edition there were sixty-two plates, but on the fifty- 

 four in the present issue room has been found not only for all the 

 species previously figured, but for important additions thereto. These 

 figures are exceedingly accurate, and will be of the greatest assistance 

 to all who may consult the work for the purpose of identifying their 

 captures, more especially, perhaps, among British " Macros." 



Two plates are devoted to a selection of figures representing some 

 prominent species belonging to the different families embraced in the 

 " Micros." It is to be hoped that Mr. Kirby may be able to give us a 

 volume, on the plan of that now under notice, dealing entirely with 

 these sadly neglected groups of highly interesting moths. We feel 

 confident that it only requires the stimulus of such a book to awaken 

 a large amount of interest in the Micro-Lepidoptera of this country. 



