X. PRESS NOTICES OF VOL. II. 



an index consisting of thirty columns of references merely to the names of the species dealt with 

 and referred to, and the whole book contains, not only a complete resumi of the families dealt 

 with culled from all possible sources, but a large mass of original matter written by the author 

 and those entomologists whose help he was fortunate to obtain. The book consists of two parts : 

 (i) The introductory part (ioo pages) containing chapters on ' Metamorphosis in Lepidoptera,' 

 ' Incidental phenomena relating to Metamorphosis in Lepidoptera,' 'The External Morphology of 

 the Lepidopterous pupa,' ' The Internal Structure of the Lepidopterous pupa,' and ' Phylo- 

 geny of the Lepidopterous pupa.' (2) The systematic part (469 pages) dealing with the species. 

 In this section each species is described under a series of headings— Synonymy, Original 

 description, Imago, Sexual dimorphism, Gynandromorphism (description of all known 

 forms), Variation (with original descriptions of all known forms), Comparison with allied 

 species, Egg-laying, Ovum, Habits of Larva, Larva, Variation of Larva, Comparison of 

 Larva with those of allies, Cocoon, Double and Composite Cocoons. Variation in colour of 

 Cocoons, Parasites, Food-plants, Habits and habitat, Pupal Habits and extended duration of 

 Pupal Stage, Time of Appearance (details for phenological work), Localities (county lists for the 

 British Islands), Distribution (classified lists under the countries in which the species occur). 

 The headings just enumerated are those under which Lachneis lanestris is described. In addition 

 to most of these, there are other headings in the Psychides — Case, Puparium, Dehiscence of 

 Pupa, &c. There are also full details of the superfamilies, families, subfamilies, tribes and genera 

 under which the species have been described. The feature of this volume will be considered, 

 undoubtedly, the very full and complete monograph of the Psychides. This exceedingly interest- 

 ing group has been hitherto practically unknown to British lepidopterists, and such authors as 

 have dealt with it have largely copied their descriptions and notes from the Continental authorities, 

 with the result that a very large proportion of the little that has been published about them in 

 Britain is erroneous. In this work almost every British species of the Micro-Psychina, as well as 

 the Macro-Psychina, has been worked out in detail, and there is no doubt that British 

 lepidopterists will now be far ahead of their Continental brethren in their knowledge of the 

 group, especially as in the Micro-Psychina the author has given a summary of the whole of the 

 known Palasarctic species. A full consideration of their position with regard to their super- 

 families and inter se has been given, and the whole group has been so thoroughly overhauled that 

 the work will be invaluable to Continental as well as British lepidopterists. The superfamily 

 Lasiocampides or Lachneides has been similarly treated. The whole of the family has been 

 considered historicall)-, and the positions of the various authorities discussed. With the exception 

 of a few instances, the author finds himself in agreement with Aurivillius as to the names to be 

 used, but the life-histories have had to be worked out de novo, on modern lines, to determine the 

 characters on which the classification of the group should be based. The work has been so 

 arranged as to make the facts of the greatest possible use to the synonymist, the systematist, the 

 biologist, phenologist, and the student of variation and distribution. At the same time the collector 

 has unequal lists of food-plants, dates of appearance, full county lists, full account of the habits 

 (larval and imaginal) and habitats, mode of pupation, &c. , in such detail as has never been 

 offered before. Help has been obtained from a very large number of our best lepidopterists at 

 home and abroad. Lord Walsingham, Messrs. Durrant, Kirby and Prout are stated to be 

 almost entirely responsible for the synonym) 7 ; Dr. T. A. Chapman and Mr. Bacot for the life- 

 histories, descriptions of larvae, pupae, &c. Some 250 local and county lists have been overhauled 

 and put together for the localities, which form a really good series of county lists. Special help 

 has been obtained from those who know any species particularly well, whilst considerable help 

 has also to be acknowledged from Messieurs Oberthiir, Dupont, and Dr. F. J. M. Heylaerts, of 

 Breda. As the work can only be continued by the goodwill of subscribers, it is hoped that every 

 entomologist who is anxious that we should have a series of books on British lepidoptera 

 that shall be far in advance of anything before offered to the entomological public, and form a 

 real work of reference, based on the lines of modern science, will support this undertaking, not 

 only by becoming a subscriber, but also by inducing his friends to do so. " — Entomologist's Record. 

 July, 1900. 



" Mon attention a 6tc encore appelee specialement sur la famille des Zygenides par 

 l'apparition recente d'un ouvrage des plus importants du a un auteur anglais, M. J. W. Tutt. 

 Dans le premier volume, paru in 1899, de sa Natural History of the British Lepidoptera 

 (Londres, Sonnenschein and Co.), l'auteur n'a pas consacre moins de 163 pages d'un texte tres 

 serrc aux Zygenides. II ne s'occupe, il est vrai, que des especes britanniques, mais il etudie 

 leurs varietes et leurs races mcme continentales. Jamais, a ma connaissance, il n'avait etc fait 

 une etude aussi approfondie des Lepidopteres, examines minutieusement dans leur quatre etats 

 successifs ainsi qu'au point de vue des rnceurs, de la repartition geographique et de l'habitat. 

 Je renvoie a cet ouvrage ceux des lecteurs qui voudraient faire une etude approfondie de la 

 famille des Zygenides." — (Professor) L. Dupont, Les Zygbnes de la Normandie. 1000. 



"The first volume of Mr. Tutt's great work on British Lepidoptera appeared in January. 

 1899, and already the second volume is lying before us. We are glad to find that the author has 

 received so much encouragement that he is enabled to proceed with the book without delay, and 

 in the most elaborate manner. The second volume is thicker than the first by no less than 24 

 pages, and is similarly divided into two parts. The first part is divided into five chapters, ot which 

 the first two deal with metamorphosis in Lepidoptera, and the others with the external mor- 

 phology, internal structure and phylogeny of the Lepidopterous pupa The second part includes 

 the Psychides (divided into Micropsychina and Macropsychina) a catalogue of. the l'al.earctic 

 Psychides, the first portion of the Lachneides and Index. The author has not only epitomized a 

 large portion of the extensive literature relating to the various subjects, of which he treats, but 

 has added a very large amount of entirely new and original matter derived from the observations 

 of himself and his correspondents. No less than 334 pages of the second volume are devoted to the 

 interesting but extremely difficult group of the Psychides, which is one of the most remarkable 

 among the Lepidoptera. The females are almost always apterous, and, in some species, are almost 

 destitute of legs and antenna; as well, being thus reduced to the condition of mere helpless egg- 

 ba^s. The larva- form cases for themselves on the plants on which they feed, somewhat resembling 

 those formed by the larvae of caddis-flies (J.'richoptera) to which some entomologists have con- 

 sidered the Psychides to be allied. Here the papa is formed, and the more helpless females never 

 quit it but deposit their ctfgs within it. Another peculiarity is that parthenogenesis is so common 

 in some of the species, especially in the genus Sotenoiia^ that you may go on breeding from the 

 larva-like female for generation after generation, without even seeing a male, which greatly adds 

 to the difficulty of satisfactorily separating and defining the species. Mr. Tutt has thoroughly 



