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ILLUSTRATIONS OF BRITISH LEPIDOPTERA. 



British and European | Butterflies and Moths | (Macrolepidoptera). | By 



A. W. Kappel, F.L.S., F.E.S. | (Assistant Librarian, Linnean Society), \ 

 and | W. EGMONT Kirby, L.S.A., | Authors of "Beetles, Butterflies, Moths, 

 and other Insects." | With thirty coloured plates | by | H. Deuchert and 

 S. Slocombe. | London : | Ernest Nister. | New York : | E. P. Dutton & Co. | 

 Printed in Bavaria. [Quarto, no date, xvi. + 273 pages and 30 coloured plates.] 



The chief excellence of this work lies in the really superb execution 

 of the coloured figures, whereby the ready identification of most of 

 the larger species of lepidoptera is rendered a comparatively easy 

 task for even the entomological tyro, and this volume will constitute 

 a most useful companion to such books on our lepidoptera as 

 the plain edition of Barrett's work now in progress. The figures are 

 nearly all so good that we cannot single out any for special mention, 

 and they will bear comparison w r ith those of the majority of even 

 expensive works. 



The text is subsidiary and may be considered as merely an 

 accompaniment to the plates. Many of the insects are not described 

 at all, that is, where the figure is sufficient for identification, in which 

 cases a brief account of the insect, its habits, metamorphoses, etc., 

 is given. In other cases diagnoses are also given. 



A brief introduction gives an account of the anatomy of 

 lepidoptera, a brief paragraph or two on development, and notes 

 on collecting both perfect insects and larvae, rearing, setting, etc. 



The preface lays stress on the British species having all English 

 names assigned to them, but we trust the authors did not find it 

 necessary to invent any. A curious feature of the work is that the 

 measurements of the species are given in the index instead of with 

 the description, where it ought to be ; and a very bad feature is 

 that the book is nowhere dated. However the excellence of the 

 coloured figures will serve to atone for the defects of the letter- 

 press, and in its w r hole execution and get-up the book is worthy of 

 the fame of the Bavarian lithographer with whose Christmas cards 

 many of us are familiar. 



— 



NOTES AND NEWS. 



We are pleased to see that the University of Durham has conferred an 

 honorary M.A. degree upon Mr. Richard Howse, the able and distinguished 

 naturalist who is at present curator of the Natural History Museum at Newcastle- 

 on-Tyne. We hope some time to hear of the Victoria University showing 

 a similar appreciation of the sound work which numerous naturalists in Lancashire 

 and Yorkshire are and have been doing for many years past. 



At the same convocation of the Durham University the honorary D.C.L 

 degree was conferred upon the Rev. W. H. Dallinger. 



Mr. Henry J. Pearson gives in 'The Ibis' for April 1896 an interesting 

 account of the cruise of the * Saxon,' with notes on birds observed in Russian 

 Lapland, Kolguev, and Novaya Zemlya in 1895. 



Naturalist 



