68 INTRODUCTION. 



turnal Lepidoptera (the only light in which we are 

 now considering it) : in its original form, by supply- 

 ing excellent delineations of many fine species ; and 

 in its recent and improved shape, by its accurate 

 descriptions, augmented historical details, and mo- 

 dernised nomenclature. 



Cramer's " Papillons Exotiques des Trois Parties 

 du Monde, l'Asie, l'Afrique, et l'Ainerique," is one 

 of the most valuable works ever published on the 

 Lepidoptera of foreign countries. The first volume 

 appeared at Amsterdam in 1779, and the fourth or 

 last in 1782. It is large quarto size, containing 

 four hundred plates, which, besides butterflies, afford 

 representations of between eight and nine hundred 

 moths and sphingideous insects, including many of 

 the largest and most remarkable kinds found out of 

 Europe. The engravings, upon the whole, are very 

 accurate, and the colouring so good that the species 

 can be at once recognised. These figures derive 

 additional value from the consideration that they 

 have been very often referred to by describers and 

 systematists, so that we can easily determine what 

 insect they meant when their descriptions, as often 

 happens, prove so brief or imperfect as to leave us 

 in doubt. The accompanying text is not of so 

 much value as it might easily have been made, but 

 a good deal of useful information may be gleaned 

 from it. A supplement to this work has been pub- 

 lished by Stoll (1791), which is deserving of the 

 ntgnest commendation. It contains figures of up- 

 wards of seventy moths and hawkmoths; but its 



