250 THK ENT()WOU)(;IST"s KF,C()K1>. 



nii^i^lit l)e expected, this portion of the work is especially well done tmd 

 conii)lete. The chapter on the Jun-niiciilac is, however, quite one ot 

 the most iniportiint scientifically and interestin.cf from the "^^eneral 

 standpoint that we have yet read. The prominent part that the 

 Diptera have played in the more recent work of such sj)ecialists as. 

 Osten-Sacken, Weismann, Lowne, and others, has led to our havin,^- a 

 much more exact knowledge of the phenomena attending metanu)r- 

 phosis in this order than in any other, and this work has heen remark- 

 ably well sununarised and dealt with by our author, whilst the treat- 

 ment of the Hemiptera leaves little to be desired. One is agreeably 

 surprised to find such an excellent general account of the Lepidoptera 

 condensed into so small a space. Accepting the two main divisions of 

 Rhopalocera and Heterocera, the author enters into a brief sunnnary 

 of the principal families and subfamilies. He accepts the general con- 

 clusions of IMeyrick, but follows, in his treatment of the Heterocerous 

 families, the " key " given by Hampson in the Fainta nf lUitisli liulia 

 — Moths, an arrangement based essentially on the neuration of the 

 imagines, ^^'e are pleased to see the prominence that is given to the 

 Avork of Chapman in this order, whilst the author's remarks on the 

 ^Iicrt>i>t('iii(ii(lai' (= ]''ii(ic<'jiliali(hi(') and /\i iurcoiiidac (= Microjitci i/- 

 l/vlar) are exceedingly interesting. Too much cannot be said in praise 

 of this work, which offers to the general naturalist, as well as to the 

 specialist, a thoroughly reliable text-book that is distinctly in advance 

 of any other Avork of a similar kind yet published in the English 

 language. The book is well produced, the type clear, the printing- 

 good, the illustrations accurate and to the point. We could have 

 wished though that the paper would allow one to make marginal notes, 

 but an attempt, on p. 41H, where n'dcits occurs for liiiJni-u to put in 

 the " ^ " has ended in an ugly lilotcli. tlie ink run)iing as if ))ut on 

 blotting-paper. 



New Zealand ^Ioths and Butterflies. By G. V. Hudson, F.I^.S. 

 [Quarto 144 + xx pp., xiii plates (chromo). Published by West, 

 Newman, and Co., 54, Hatton Garden, E.C. Price £1 5s. net] . — In 

 this work the author gives a short general introduction of the struc- 

 ture and transformations of Lepidoptera, a brief accoimt of the 

 Darwinian theory of the origin of species, and a summary of recent 

 views of classification, mainly, however, restricted to that of Meyrick, 

 whi-ch are followed in the systematic portion of the book. The latter 

 consists of five chapters, and whilst these show how much has 

 already Ijeen done in NeAv Zealand in the families treated of, they also 

 exhibit the vast amount of work, especially in the early stages of the 

 species, that remains for the lepidopterists of NeAV Zealand yet to com- 

 plete. It is to be expected that an author Avho writes of New Zealand 

 Lepidoptera Avould follow ^leyrick (who has done so much scientific 

 work in that country), but one is so absolutely befogged at the loss of 

 the old landmarks, that one is often bewildered as to where one is. To 

 criticise the inclusion of the (ii-nuicliidai' in the Notodonts and similar 

 vagaries would be to c()\'er again ground that has already been well 

 trodden and for which our author is (mly responsible so far as he has 

 adopted without dennu-, a system that appears to us utterly illogical 

 and scientifically indefensible. Apart from the arrangement, the 

 systematic part of the work appears, so far as it goes, to be carefully 

 and accurately done, the descriptions of the perfect insects are good, 



