EECENT LITERATURE. 255 



including Penthiiia prunuma, Hh., SviaphUa subjectana, Gn., 5. hyhridana, 

 Hb., Tortrix ministrana, L., Phoxoptenjx milterpachneriuna, Schiff., Nemo- 

 phora swammerdani inella, L., &c. M r. Briggs also exhibited a portion of ihe 

 outer covering of a tree wasp's nest, which was curiously striped with 

 bright blue. Mr. Step said it was well known that wasps, when short of 

 the usual material for their nests, would utilise ready-made paper and 

 similar substances, and he suggested that the blue colour might have been 

 caused by the insect appropriating portions of a blue poster from some 

 hoarding, and the fact of the colour being in stripes would be accouutwd for 

 by the manner in which the wasp works.— H. Williams, Hon. Secrelanj. 



RECENT LITERATURE. 



The Lepidoptera of the British Islands. By Chakles G. Barrett, F.E.S. 

 Vol. I. Rhopalocera ; pp. viii, 313, 8vo. London: L. Reeve & Co. 

 1893. 



As our knowledge of the species of Lepidoptera occurring in the British 

 Islands increases, it is obvious that new works upon the subject become a 

 necessity from time to time. During the ten years which elapsed between 

 the publication of Stainton's 'Manual' and the appearance of Newman's 

 ' British Moths and Butterflies,' much interesting and valuable matter had 

 been stored up in the Entomological Magazines, Proceedings of Societies, 

 and private note-books. The last-mentioned author did not, however, avail 

 himself so fully as he should have done of the information at his disposal. 

 Seeing how greatly the number of assiduous collectors and careful observers 

 has increased during the latter quarter of tlie present century, and having 

 regard to the improved system of recording facts and observations, it follows 

 that at the present time there should be a vast amount of trustworthy and 

 important material ready to be dealt with by any one undertaking the task 

 of writing a monograph of our Lepidoptera. The nineteenth century is fast 

 drawing to a close, and the time seems a very suitable one for the production 

 of such a work as that upon which Mr. Barrett is engaged, and of which 

 the first volume, dealing with the Rhopalocera, is now before us. 



In his Preface, our author states that he has ransacked all the store- 

 houses of information ; we are therefore somewhat surprised that he has 

 found so little in the course of his research that he deemed worthy to be 

 incorporated in his book. We cannot, however, suppose that any items 

 have been purposely ignored ; on the contrary, we feel assured that he has 

 most carefully perused and impartially considered every note and paper 

 bearing upon his subject. To have done less than this would have been 

 an injustice to the intelligence of British lepidopterists. It may then be 

 taken for granted that all that is sound and wholesome for us to assimilate 

 has been judiciously garnered, whilst the unprofitable and pernicious has 

 been rejected. This laudable care is well exemplified in the accounts of 

 the earlier stages of the various species, as these are either drawn up from 

 his own observations or from that of others on whom he could rely. 



Localities for the more or less local species are given, but we think that 

 in some cases the remarks under this head might well have been extended. 

 Turning to Geographical distribution, we find that this phase of the subject 

 has not been treated as fully or correctly as it might have been if writers on 

 other faunas than that of Britain had been more freely consulted. Some 



