232 THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 



of Hemiptera-Heteroptera in England, and their work on the subject, 

 published by the Ray Society, well illustrated, as the Ray Society's 

 publications always are, did good service in its day. 



But the Ray Society's publications are not always easy to obtain, and 

 our knowledge of British Hemiptera has largely increased since 1865 ; 

 and therefore Mr. Saunders has rendered considerable service to science 

 by the production of this handsome volume, which originally appeared 

 in parts. The introduction includes general matter on the characters, 

 structure, and habits of the Sub-Order, with notes on collecting, habits, 

 &c., and a table of families. Each family has a table of sub- families 

 or genera, and each genus a table of species, so that the ambiguity so 

 often felt by those who commence the study of a new group, from want 

 of well-dej&ned characters in a convenient form, cannot occur here. A 

 large number of species (if not all) are figured on the plates, and full 

 information respecting localities, &c., is given in the text; and the 

 work closes with a good alphabetical index. The book appears to have 

 been very carefully worked out, and the principal Continental 

 authorities have been freely consulted ; but yet there are one or two 

 deficiencies which we regret to notice. Firstly, there is no reference 

 to the figures in the text, nor any index of plates except the explanation 

 opposite to each. Secondly, there should have been a systematic index, 

 of families at the commencement of the book, in addition to the alpha- 

 betical index at the end. Now that alphabetical indices are very 

 properly deemed indispensable to a book, we fear that there is some- 

 times a tendency to neglect giving a table of contents, which is, how- 

 ever, often almost as necessary for comfort and convenience in using 

 a book as an alphabetical index itself. And there should have been a 

 short list of the plates, showing at least on which plates the principal 

 families were represented. 



We are glad to see that this work has received so much encourage- 

 ment that Mr. Saunders has already announced one of similar char- 

 acter on the Hymenoptera Aculeata. This is even more wanted, as we 

 have no good illustrated works on this group of insects of recent date on 

 our British species ; notwithstanding that the Ants, Bees, and Wasps 

 are among the most interesting of all insects. We hope Mr. Saunders 

 may bring this new venture also to an equally successful conclusion. 



Catalogue of British Coleoptera. By D. Shabp, M.A., F.R.S., &c., and 

 W. W. Fowler, M.A., F.E.S., &c. 46 pp. 8vo. London: L. 

 Reeve & Co. 1893. 



During the past ten years or so the coleopterists of this country 

 have for the most part used either Dr. Sharp's Catalogue, or that of 

 Canon Fowler and the Rev. A. Mathews, the chief points of difference 

 between these two lists being rather in the arrangement than in the 

 nomenclature. The present work is more complete than either of ij:^ 

 predecessors, and as it is the outcome of the joint labour of two 

 acknowledged authorities, it will certainly be accepted, by all who are 

 interested in the Coleoptera of the British Islands, as the standard list 

 of the future. 



