RECENT LITERATURE. 47 



to that larger field for observation and investigation, the Continent 

 of Europe. So far, however, the moths do not seem to receive very- 

 close attention. 



The late Nicholas Frank Dobree, v^^ho formed his collection of 

 European Noctuidse between the years 1871 and 1888, may be 

 regarded not only as a pioneer in specialization, but as the first advo- 

 cate for breaking away from what has been termed the " insular 

 prejudice" of the British entomologist. In gathering together the 

 material for this collection Mr. Dobree obtained chiefly specimens of 

 such species as were found in our islands, or of their allies, from 

 various European countries and from other parts of the Palaearctic 

 region. As an example of this, the first entry in the Catalogue — 

 Habrosyne [Gnopliora) derasa, Linn. — may be taken. In the series 

 of this species there are twelve specimens, of which two are from 

 Germany and five from Amurland ; the others are British. Justly 

 appreciating the educational value of such a collection, Mr. Dobree 

 (E. M. M. xiv. p. 41) endeavoured to impress upon British students 

 the advantage of a knowledge of the European species and forms 

 when dealing with the lepidopterous productions of their own 

 country. 



To-day there is far less difficulty in obtaining natural history 

 specimens from the Continent than was the case during the period 

 covered by Mr. Dobree's activities. Although but few species of 

 Lepidoptera can be claimed as peculiar to Britain, still there are a 

 large number of our forms that should be of interest to entomologists 

 on the Continent. 



In addition to the six hundred and fifty-four species, and more 

 than three hundred named varieties in the Dobree collection, there 

 are seven hundred and twenty larvae which had been preserved by 

 Mr. Dobree.. The collection is now in the Museum at Hull, to the 

 Corporation of which city it was formally transferred at the close of 

 1902, and the Catalogue thereof, which has been so ably prepared by 

 Mr. Browne, is a model of what such catalogues should be. It is 

 quite in accordance with its title, and is up-to-date in the matter of 

 nomenclature. An alphabetical index to the species greatly facilitates 

 reference to the Catalogue, and also to the collection, especially when 

 one wishes to learn the position of any particular species in either. 



Transactions of the South-Eastern Union of Societies for 1909. 

 Pp. i.-lxviii. and 1-69. Plates i.-xxv. 

 Among other excellent papers on organic and inorganic Nature 

 there is one of special interest to the entomologist. This is by 

 Mr. A. Sich, F.E.S., and is entitled " Lepidopterous Leaf-miners " 

 (pp. xlvih. and 30-37). It is illustrated by a plate showing life- 

 history details of Nejdicula acetosce. Plate i., forming the frontispiece 

 of the volume, is a reproduction of a photograph of the members of 

 the Congress of the South-Eastern Union of Scientific Societies, taken 

 at Wolvesey, June, 1909. Among the numerous portraits in the 

 group we recognize those of several Fellow^s of the Entomological 

 Society and Members of the South London Entomological and 

 Natural History Society. 



