Bibliographical Notices. 



adding that " no less than 8000 of the species here enumerated were 

 new to science." This stupendous amount has, not unnaturally, 

 been received with some hesitation in certain quarters ; but our con- 

 viction is that Mr. Bates will prove there is no exaggeration in his 

 estimate*. The temper of the times is against testing the accuracy 

 of any book by the application of simple arithmetic ; but we may 

 take the liberty of remarking that his computation amounts to the 

 capture of more than two neio species daily (omitting Sundays) for 

 the eleven years of his absence — a feat, indeed, of which any man 

 may well be proud. With respect to Insects, our author, it will be 

 seen, deals in round numbers ; and therefore to him will not apply 

 (as it might to many another collector) the story of the American 

 gunner, who, when boasting that he had killed ninety-nine Canvas- 

 backed Ducks at a single "shoot," was asked by, a bystander why 

 he did not make it a clean hundred at once. " Sirree," said the 

 Yankee, with dignity, " do you think I'd tell a lie for one darned 

 duck ?" We imagine, however, that we have cause for complaint 

 against Mr. Bates that he has nowhere told us how many of these 

 8000 new species remain yet to be described : he speaks of the work 

 done or doing, in the way of description, by Drs. Bowerbank, Gray, 

 Giinther, and Sclater ; but how about the insects? Some, it is true, 

 he himself has already described ; but when, where, and by whom 

 will the rest, forming (as of course they do) the bulk of the 8000, 

 be named and distinguished ? We entirely participate in the regret 

 he expresses that " a complete set of the species has nowhere been 

 preserved," not only for the reason he modestly assigns (a very 

 proper one though it be), but because we conceive that, for the very 

 honour of our country, the national collection should have become 

 possessed of a perfect series of Mr. Bates's specimens, if it were 

 merely to show foreigners what the perseverance and industry of one 

 of her sons, not supplied from the public purse, and not equipped 

 with state documents, in his own private capacity was able to 

 accomplish. 



Though, as we have said, Mr. Bates is no sluggard, yet he has 

 taken the advice of the wise man, and gone to the ant to consider 

 her ways. It seems as if the interest connected with each of the 

 widely differing groups that in English bear that name in common 

 were inexhaustible. Notwithstanding the mass of information re- 

 specting Termites and Ants (properly so called) to be found in books 

 of natural history, Mr. Bates has a good deal that is new to tell us 



* In confirmation of the assertion, we may refer to two statements made 

 by Mr. Wallace, in his ' Narrative of Travels on the Amazon, &c.' — a work 

 to which naturalists generally have accorded all the praise bespoken for it 

 in this Jom-nal nearly ten years since (Annals, ser. 2. vol. xiii. p. 5/). In 

 two months that gentleman, being then in company with Mr. Bates, col- 

 lected 1300 species of insects (p. 49) ; and at the time of his writing, he 

 mentions that our author had then obtained 1200 species of diurnal 

 Lepidoptera, 600 of which might be met with within a day's journey of 

 Para (p. 469) ! 



