Stark's Elements of Natural History. 397 



In the illustration of the Insecta a different plan has been pursued. 

 Their immense number probably presented an insuperable obstac.e to the 

 introduction of every genus, of its characters, and of typical species, al- 

 though only the older works of Latreille are here employed, in which the 

 genera are less numerous than in those recently published by that distin- 

 guished Entomologist. For this reason analytical tables have been given 

 of each family, under the sections of which every genus is named ; but 

 some only of the genera are characterized, and these are illustrated by 

 very few examples. Here also Dr. Shaw's very meagre work on this 

 subject has been put in requisition for the species, which are generally 

 selected from such as are natives of Europe. 



From the names of the authours whose works have been mentioned in 

 the course of this notice as having supplied to Mr. Stark the information 

 which he has included in these volumes, it will have been seen that he 

 has usually consulted those who rank highest in public estimation among 

 the general writers on the departments to which they have chiefly de- 

 voted themselves. By compressing the most important parts of their 

 many valuable volumes into two, he has furnished a work of much real 

 utility, and the more practically useful because its moderate size admits 

 of its being made a travelling companion, and being thus rendered avail- 

 able in many situations where the incumbrance of more bulky produc- 

 tions would prevent their being employed. Such indeed appears to be 

 the principal value of works like the present. To the voyager, or to the 

 traveller, they may be made in themselves a library adequate to most of 

 his zoological wants; and to the retired student, whose means are limited, 

 they are almost equally useful. But both the one and the other, and 

 every person who aims at attaining the best information on such subjects, 

 will not fail to have recourse to very different sources, whenever they 

 possess opportunities of consulting libraries. 



It has been already said that we believe that these Elements may safely 

 be placed at the head of the Manuals of Species of Animals ; but al- 

 though it is, at the present moment, the best book of its class, a much 

 more useful one might readily be concocted by the mere labour of com- 

 piling from those numerous original productions which have been ne- 

 glected by its authour. Even a person, Hke that gentleman, by no means 

 intimately versed in the subject, might readily supersede the present work. 



Vol. IV. . D D 



