BRITISH ENTOMOLOGY. 453 



revolted from such a deed ; we have, in fact, been deceiving 

 ourselves, — we have been leaning on a reed. 



How strenuously, how enthusiastically, have we laboured 

 to eradicate the base and injurious party-spirit which has so 

 long pervaded the paths of science ; — and is this the fruit ? is 

 this the brotherly spirit we invoked ? is this the endeavour, of 

 which we urged the necessity, to forgive the past and to avoid 

 offence for the future ? 



We see no termination to the mischief now a-foot : we see 

 that a fresh question may now, in self-defence, be agitated : 

 we see that Mr. Curtis's title to the copyright of this List may 

 be examined ; this attack is a fair challenge to the inquiry. 

 We fear that Mr. Curtis will find that he had better, far better, 

 have committed the whole copy of that tainted number to the 

 flames, than have ventured to risk it on the excited wave of 

 public opinion. 



It is with pleasure we return from these observations to the 

 beautiful work before us ; for it is so much more gratifying to 

 applaud than to condemn, that we would fain always applaud. 

 In the present numbers, however, as a general observation, 

 we would say, that Mr. Curtis is too much inclined to yield 

 to the mania of the day for making genera and species, which 

 the wheel of science, in its rotation, must inevitably fling from 

 its circumference. Name-giving is one of the least important 

 parts of a work like this ; it were better to illustrate genera 

 and species already described, than venture on the intricate 

 task of making new ones. 



The contents of the April number are, 1. Hesperia Actceon, 

 a new butterfly, for which we are indebted to that indefatigable 

 entomologist, Mr. Dale, whose important discoveries have 

 enriched almost every column of our list. Mr. Curtis's cha- 

 racter of the larva and pupa of the Hesperidce is scarcely 

 sufficient; we will improve it. " Larva elongate," attenuated 

 gradually towards either end ; " head large," porrected ; " six 

 pectoral, eight abdominal, and two anal, feet;"^ " pupa" 

 smooth, unangulated, head-case rounded, tail pointed, " en- 

 closed in a" slight loose " web," through which it is visible, 

 " or in leaves held together by threads," girted and attached 

 by the tail. 2. Callicerus Spencii, one of the Brachelytra. 



^ The number and situation of feet is invariable in PafilionidcF. 



