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  NOTICES 
  OF 
  NEW 
  BOOKS. 
  

  

  Catalogue 
  of 
  the 
  Noctuidce 
  in 
  the 
  Collection 
  of 
  the 
  British 
  Museum. 
  

   By 
  Sir 
  George 
  F. 
  Hampson, 
  Bart. 
  Published 
  by 
  the 
  

   Trustees 
  of 
  the 
  British 
  Museum. 
  

  

  This 
  is 
  the 
  fourth 
  volume 
  of 
  the 
  " 
  Catalogue 
  of 
  the 
  Lepidoptera 
  

   Phalame" 
  ; 
  it 
  is 
  devoted 
  to 
  the 
  Noctuidce, 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  the 
  Agrotince 
  

   extend, 
  and 
  amply 
  describes 
  and 
  deals 
  with 
  some 
  1200 
  species. 
  

   As 
  the 
  whole 
  Noctuidce 
  is 
  estimated 
  to 
  contain 
  some 
  ten 
  to 
  twelve 
  

   thousand 
  described 
  species, 
  the 
  magnitude 
  of 
  the 
  proposed 
  work 
  

   may 
  be 
  appraised 
  by 
  the 
  size 
  of 
  this 
  large 
  and 
  dominant 
  family 
  

   alone. 
  

  

  To 
  bring 
  such 
  a 
  large 
  and 
  difficult 
  family 
  into 
  a 
  consistent 
  

   whole, 
  and 
  with 
  monographic 
  revision, 
  is 
  a 
  task 
  that 
  will 
  be 
  

   greatly 
  valued 
  by 
  all 
  lepidopterists. 
  Those 
  workers 
  who 
  have 
  

   been 
  compelled 
  to 
  deal 
  with 
  the 
  Noctuidce, 
  when 
  enumerating 
  

   some 
  lepidopteral 
  fauna, 
  will 
  scarcely 
  need 
  to 
  be 
  reminded 
  of 
  the 
  

   classificatory 
  chaos 
  that 
  has 
  hitherto 
  existed, 
  not 
  only 
  with 
  

   species 
  and 
  genera, 
  but 
  even 
  as 
  regards 
  families 
  ; 
  for 
  Sir 
  George 
  

   is 
  now 
  including 
  in 
  the 
  Noctuidce 
  many 
  genera 
  which 
  perhaps, 
  

   owing 
  to 
  their 
  bright 
  coloration, 
  have 
  been 
  arranged 
  erroneously 
  

   in 
  other 
  families. 
  Then 
  again, 
  with 
  these 
  obscure 
  moths, 
  the 
  

   unfortunate 
  entomologist 
  who 
  has 
  been 
  compelled 
  to 
  describe 
  

   species 
  by 
  the 
  exigencies 
  of 
  faunistic 
  publication, 
  has 
  frequently 
  

   had 
  to 
  run 
  appalling 
  risks 
  of 
  redescription, 
  and 
  the 
  details 
  of 
  

   the 
  synonymy 
  in 
  this 
  volume 
  will 
  show 
  how 
  many 
  have 
  fallen 
  

   into 
  the 
  synonymic 
  pit. 
  From 
  the 
  vast 
  material 
  contained 
  

   in 
  the 
  British 
  Museum, 
  and 
  the 
  willing 
  help 
  afforded 
  by 
  lepi- 
  

   dopterists 
  in 
  all 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  world, 
  the 
  author 
  has 
  been 
  enabled 
  

   to 
  compare 
  and 
  digest 
  his 
  material 
  ; 
  so 
  that 
  we 
  may 
  now 
  run 
  few 
  

   risks 
  of 
  confusion, 
  be 
  able 
  to 
  have 
  an 
  adequate 
  grasp 
  of 
  the 
  

   Noctuidce 
  as 
  a 
  whole, 
  and 
  can 
  tabulate 
  reliable 
  facts 
  in 
  the 
  study 
  

   of 
  the 
  geographical 
  distribution 
  of 
  insects. 
  

  

  