II PREFACE. By Dr. A, Seitz. 



and its time of publication, and have sacrificed to the main object of the work — cheapness, quickness, 

 completeness — many other qualities which might have been aimed at. Our intention was by no means to 

 make the whole lepidopterological literature dispensable in every instance. But above all we wished to create 

 a manual affording a quick and easy insight into the numerous collections, where to 

 this very day often great treasures are lying dormant, unknown and unclassified. First and foremost, the museums 

 ought to have an opportunity for arranging their collections, and make them available to visitors without bur- 

 dening the officials with the wearisome labour of definition from borrowed authoritative works, for the scientific 

 activity of these officials is required in another direction. The multifarious appreciative remarks sent to us 

 in this respect have inspired us with the hope that some gaps which this work cannot be exempt of, will 

 be leniently dealt with. 



So as to incite a tendency to indulgent criticism in those who think the work has not come up to 

 their expectations, we have endeavoured to surpass what had been promised by us with respect to 

 the illustrations. This has not only been done by the increase of the figures from 10 000 to 12 000, 

 but a.bove all by putting in place of the three-colour process plates as promised in the prospectus, much more 

 valuable and elaborate lithographic plates. Through the favourable reception the work found at its publication, 

 the publisher, of course, in foregoing the profits in view for him, was permitted to produce the much dearer 

 lithographic plates instead of the more schematic and cheap ones attached to the prospectus. The utility of 

 the work has been considerablyin creased by this additional performance, and we request to 

 take this as a compensation for those cases in which some pictiu'es may be looked upon as somewhat of a failure 

 in their execution. The unexceptional faultless turning out of 12 000 illustrations is beyond an attainable limit. 

 Nor do the main objects of the work mentioned above admit the production of something that is fully unobjec- 

 tionable from an artistic point of view. With a sufficient distinctness of the illustrations, we have looked upon 

 our task as solved, and even deemed it useful, when a great choice of the models is in view, not to choose for 

 reproduction particularly large and uncommonly beautifully developed animals, but have throughout stuck 

 to average specimens, of which we could assume they would mostly resemble those that were ca- 

 sually compared with them. But, in opposition to certain critical utterances, we beg most emphatically to 

 state herewith that in this process we see an advantage and not a disadvantage of our work as a manual. 



With the completion of the palaearctic part an acceleration in the publication of the exotic numbers 

 might have taken place, but for the sheer impossibility of intercourse with foreign countries, together with 

 the great interruptions by the blockade of Central Europe, which rendered the furtherance of the work in 

 every respect difficult. But for all that it was possible to bring the first great main division of the Exotics 

 and the treatment of exotic Rhopalocera almost to a close. Only the completion of the Lycaenides, which 

 are now in print, is still wanting. Besides the Grypocera could also be prepared and begun, and the Hetero- 

 cera could be advanced in both the American and Indo-Australian division. But the collection of materials for 

 the supplementary numbers of the principal part terminating with this volume, could also be begun, and 

 unless new convulsions in the political life of the European continent thwart the designs elaborated, we feel 

 confident to be able to finish the missing parts of the complete work in a short time. 



We have been confirmed in this belief by the favourable reception the present volume has found in its 

 German edition. From no part of the public we have heard an averse comment, but the elaboration of the 

 Geometrides was, with respect to its uniformity pointed out to us as the most successful portion of the whole 

 work. Mr. L. B. Peout, the author of the work who, in spite of the very narrow limits allowed as to space, 

 succeeded in the exliaustive treatment of the abundance of forms in the family of Geometrides, has received his 

 well-earned share of admiration from the public. But we also owe thanks and appreciation to the publisher 

 who, notwithstanding the great distm'bances in the political situation of the world, and the increase of ex- 

 penses, was not restrained from bestowing the same care upon the getting up of the work as upon those earlier 

 volumes brought to a close while peace was yet prevailing. 



Moreover I should also like to give thanks to all of them who, by written communications or loans of 

 originals and aberrations, made a completeness in the illustrations of this volume possible, a completeness 

 not inferior to that of the former volumes. Above all the supply of numerous models is owing to the author's 

 care and the guidance, which he gave to Miss Peout in the production of them. 



I should likewise render thanks to the collectors who, through loans of originals and aberrations, have 

 made a completeness in illustrating the present volume possible, which completeness is in no way inferior to 

 the former volumes. The supply of models for the illustration is particularly to be ascribed to the care with 

 which the author guided and directed the artist, Miss Peout, in the production of them. 



The very valuable collaboration of my assistant. Dr. Josef Schramm, has, I am sorry to say, been 

 brought to a sudden end at the outbreak of the war. Wounded at the beginning of the war, he was but a short 

 time absent from the battlefields, and died a hero's death for his country as an Austrian officer of reserve on 

 February 23rd. Beside this indefatigable collaborator, I should also express my thanks to the late Oberrech- 

 nungsrat Zdenko Zalezny of Briinn, for having taken the trouble to point out a great number of irregularities 

 in the citation and denomination of the plates, which shortcomings could be amended in the ,, Rectifications". 



Darmstadt, October 1920. Dr. Adalbert Seitz. 



