REVIEWS AND NOTICES OF BOOKS. 195 



would therefore seem to be in a bad way, more especially as it is 

 found that a little kerosene dropped on the sm'face of the puddles he 

 frequents puts an end to him. The " mere collector " will perhaps 

 take note of this, in order that he may lay in a store of the Anopheles 

 before it is too late ; we are afraid, however, that it will be long before 

 the species will be extinct. There is a pleasant account by Mr, Adkin 

 of summer days by the seaside, including an important observation of 

 the immigration of i'/V/v's rapae. We are glad to learn from this paper 

 that Pob/onniiatiis corydon and P. hellaniui^ are as abundant as ever on 

 the Sussex downs. Hermit crabs and land shells are among the objects 

 observed and noted, as are many rare plants ; and most of the orders 

 of insects have their part in the Proceedinfi-'^ of this society — Lepidop- 

 tera, Coleoptera, Hemiptera, Neuroptera, Odonata, Hymenoptera, and 

 Diptera. There were 28 meetings in the year, at which, apart from 

 the exhibition of specimens — in itself a sufficient raison d'etre for such 

 a society — biological questions of importance were discussed, and the 

 society may be congratulated on its success and usefulness. Some of 

 the papers published by it are distinctly valuable from the point of 

 view of science, and the interchange of ideas and opinions at the 

 frequent meetings of the society cannot fail to bring recruits to the 

 ranks of those who, as members of the chartered Entomological Society 

 and other leading scientific societies, have done so much to promote 

 biological knowledge i:i recent years. — F.M. 



The Natural History of the British Lepidoptera (SAvan Son- 

 nenschein and Co., Paternoster Square, E.G.). — The second volume of 

 this important w^ork described by Mr. Merrifield (Entomoloi/ist, April, 

 1899) as being " in comprehensiveness and fulness of detail, on all 

 points of interest to the biologist, the systematist, and the collector 

 . without a rival," has now been published. It consists of 

 584 closely printed demy 8vo. pages, on good paper and well bound in 

 cloth. It has an index consisting of 30 columns of references merely 

 to the names of the species dealt with and referred to, and the whole 

 book contains, not only a complete resume of the families dealt with 

 culled from all possible sources, but a large mass of original matter 

 written by the author and those entomologists w^hose help he was 

 fortunate enough to obtain. 



The book consists of two parts : (1) The introductory part (100 

 pages) containing chapters on " Metamorphosis in Lepidoptera," 

 " Incidental phenomena relating to Metamorphosis in Lepidoptera," 

 " The External Morphology of the Lepidopterous pupa," " The 

 Internal Structure of the Lepidopterous pupa," and " Phylogeny of 

 the Lepidopterous pupa." (2) The systematic part (469 pages) 

 dealing with the species. In this section each species is described 

 under a series of headings — Synonymy, Original description. Imago, 

 Sexual dimorphism, Gynandromorphism (descriptions of all known 

 forms), Variation (with original descriptions of all known forms), 

 Comparison with allied species. Egg-laying, Ovum, Habits of Larva, 

 Larva, Variation of Larva, Comparison of Larva with those of allies, 

 Cocoon, Double and Composite Cocoons, Variation in colour of 

 Cocoons, Parasites, Food-plants, Habits and Habitat, Pupal Habits 

 and extended duration of Pupal stage. Time of appearance (details for 

 phenological work). Localities (county lists for the 13ritish Islands), 

 Distribution (classified lists under the countries in which the species 



