Nov. 16, 1882] 
The preface and introduction show that the authors 
thoroughly appreciate the difficulties before them, and are 
determined to spare no pains to make their work as useful 
as possible ; and though they have, from their inability to 
examine the types, been obliged temporarily to adopt 
many species about which they evidently have grave 
doubts, yet a new edition will no doubt enable these 
supposed species to be relegated to their proper position: 
The authors’ opinion on this important question may be 
quoted as follows :— 
“With regard to species and varieties we have found it 
convenient to describe where there is any room for 
doubt under its own distinctive name, every form that has 
been separately characterised, the question whether any 
particular form represents a species or a variety of a species 
can at present be decided in this country only as a matter 
of conjecture ; for a knowledge of the life-history in all 
its stages is essential to the authoritative settlement of 
such questions; at the same time the evidently or ap- 
parently allied species are carefully grouped together, and 
the nature of the variety is indicated as closely as our 
present knowledge will allow.” 
With regard to the scope of the work we may again 
quote the preface as follows : — 
“This book does not attempt a life-history of each or 
any of the insects. The time has not arrived for such 
a work. The details required for a life-history cannot be 
gathered until a knowledge of the nomenclature is far 
more widely diffused. It is simply designed as a hand- 
book of reference, as complete as possible in itself, for 
the convenience of naturalists in the field, who have no 
access to libraries. Where necessary full extracts from 
the works not generally available are given, and where 
possible and advisable the description of the species are 
given in the words of the original describers, supple- 
mented by any further details necessary to complete 
them. For the genera the admirable descriptions by 
Westwood in,the ‘Genera of Diurnal Lepidoptera’ 
have been followed as closely as possible. 
“The book will comprise detailed descriptions of every 
genus and species known to occur within the limits of 
India, British Burmah, and Ceylon, and short descrip- 
tions will be added in smaller type of species from neigh- 
bouring countries on the border, such as Malacca, Siam, 
Yunnan, Tibet, South Turkestan, Afghanistan, and 
Beluchistan, which, though not yet recorded from within 
Indian limits, may very probably subsequently be found 
to occur within our border.” 
If the authors mean to follow out this course it is to be 
hoped that their descriptions will be of a comparative and 
not of a general nature. Nothing can be more laborious, 
more unsatisfactory, and often more useless than wading 
through long descriptions, when a few words indicating 
in what character the species in question differs from its 
nearest allies, are often far more useful. It is just be- 
cause authors have in many cases been unwilling or un- 
able to make this comparison that they have described 
species without good cause, and it is frequently found 
that when such comparison is attempted, the want of 
distinctive characters is shown at once, whereas in a long 
wordy description it may easily beconcealed. In conclu- 
sion, we wish the book success and plenty of supporters, 
so that it may be completed quickly, and mark the com- 
mencement of a new era in Indian entomology. 
H. J. ELWES 
NATURE 
51 
OUR BOOK SHELF 
Winners in Life's Race ; or the Great Backboned Family, 
By Arabella Buckley, Author of Zife and her Children, 
&c. With Numerous Illustrations. (London: Edward 
Stanford, 1882.) 
Lire, the title of Miss Buckley's thoughtful work now 
before us would suggest, once it became materially 
existent, went ever forward, striving after diverse fashions . 
to adapt her children to the best methods of fighting and 
winning. She felt her way onward in several directions, and 
in several of these she attained to a fair share of perfec- 
tion, from shapelessness to symmetry, from a simpleness 
in structure to a wonderful differentiation thereof ; from a 
mere manifestation of vitality to a high state of instinct, al- 
most of intellect ; but there was to all of these a limit all too 
speedily attained—and it is now plain that no arrange- 
ment of epidermis, or muscle, or nerve, no alteration of 
blood, or alimentary system could get the uppermost in 
the struggle. It was only with the appearance of a quite 
new structure—the back-bone of this volume—that Life 
felt she had acquired a new power, and those of her 
children who were thus endowed went on gallantly until, 
Winners in the race, they were left without a rival. The 
record of their humble beginning was still very incomplete 
but a few years ago, and there was no clue thereto. Now 
as the reader will learn in the clearest manner from 
chapter I., we know of such forms as the Lancelet, and 
those strange Ascidia who ‘‘once tried to be back- 
boned, and yet as they grew fell back into the lap of 
Invertebrates.’ 
Commencing with these Ascidia, this new volume of 
Miss Buckley proceeds to tell of those “‘ Winners in Life’s 
Race,” which are supposed to culminate in our very selves. 
It does this in a way that most young people and every 
fairly educated person can understand as well as with a 
carefulness in detail and a caution in the statement of 
facts, most pleasing and grateful to the advanced student 
of Nature. Ably as this little volume is written, and 
admirable as, in our mind, is the judgment shown in the 
selection of details, yet it hardly comes to us with that 
captivating freshness that made the author’s story of 
“Life and Her Children” so welcome. Why this is so, 
we can scarcely suggest ; but this record of the battle 
over, of the fight won, seems to have been the result of a 
more tiresome labour than the author’s previously pub- 
lished records of those other legions which led on so 
steadily to what was but a forlorn hope. Perhaps this is 
because there is a wondrous charm surrounding the mys- 
terious beginnings of life which is not felt in the same de- 
gree as we approach the consideration of those beings 
who would seem to be the final product of life’s genesis. 
Still, nothing that we thus write about the contrast be- 
tween these volumes can lead us for amoment to overlook 
the fact that we know of no book in our language, which 
for the general reader approaches this, as an intro- 
duction to those animals (fish, reptiles, birds, and mam- 
mals) to whom the victory in life’s race has been vouch- 
safed. 1D 385 MiNi 
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR 
[The Editor does not hold himself responsible for opinions expressed 
by his correspondents. Nether can he unaertake to return, 
or to correspond with the writers of, rejected manuscripts. 
No notice is taken of anonymous communications. 
[The Editor urgently requests correspondents to keep their letters 
as short as possible, The pressure on his space ts so great 
that it is impossible otherwise to ensure the appearance even 
of communications containing interesting and novel jacts.] 
Weather Forecasts 
I AM glad that my letter on this subject has been the means 
of eliciting the letter of the Rev. W. Clement Ley, printed in 
your number of November 9, I have also received more than 
