﻿VI. 
  PREFACE. 
  

  

  glad 
  of 
  any 
  and 
  every 
  detail 
  bearing 
  on 
  the 
  species 
  yet 
  to 
  be 
  worked 
  

   out. 
  With 
  regard 
  to 
  the 
  publication 
  of 
  these 
  less 
  known 
  groups, 
  

   another 
  difficulty 
  faces 
  us. 
  Our 
  subscription 
  list 
  does 
  not 
  increase, 
  and, 
  

   in 
  spite 
  of 
  all 
  our 
  labour, 
  it 
  would 
  appear 
  that 
  such 
  detailed 
  studies 
  as 
  

   oars 
  are 
  so 
  worthless 
  as 
  not 
  to 
  be 
  of 
  sufficient 
  value 
  to 
  pay 
  the 
  printer 
  

   and 
  binder 
  for 
  producing 
  them. 
  Many 
  friends 
  praise 
  our 
  work, 
  borrow 
  

   the 
  volumes, 
  use 
  them 
  as 
  books 
  of 
  reference, 
  but 
  fail 
  to 
  support 
  the 
  

   undertaking 
  sufficiently 
  to 
  make 
  it 
  clear 
  expenses. 
  Are 
  there 
  no 
  

   large 
  provincial 
  libraries 
  in 
  which 
  our 
  lepidopterists 
  are 
  sufficiently 
  

   interested 
  to 
  see 
  the 
  work 
  placed 
  ? 
  

  

  For 
  the 
  two 
  " 
  general 
  " 
  chapters 
  with 
  which 
  this 
  volume 
  opens, 
  we 
  

   have 
  chosen 
  the 
  subjects 
  of 
  "Hybridisation" 
  and 
  " 
  Mongrelisation 
  " 
  in 
  

   lepidoptera. 
  These 
  subjects 
  have 
  so 
  close 
  a 
  bearing 
  on 
  the 
  question 
  of 
  

   "Species" 
  that 
  we 
  make 
  no 
  excuse 
  for 
  bringing 
  forward, 
  into 
  an 
  easily 
  

   accessible 
  form, 
  the 
  greater 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  matter 
  already 
  published 
  on 
  

   these 
  subjects. 
  The 
  wide 
  interest 
  now 
  being 
  taken 
  in 
  the 
  broad 
  

   principles 
  of 
  "variation," 
  "fixation 
  of 
  forms," 
  "species-development," 
  

   "heredity," 
  etc., 
  is 
  enough 
  to 
  make 
  chapters 
  of 
  this 
  kind 
  of 
  more 
  than 
  

   passing 
  interest, 
  and 
  to 
  give 
  them 
  considerable 
  value 
  in 
  the 
  eyes 
  of 
  the 
  

   biologist, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  the 
  lepidopterist, 
  pure 
  and 
  simple. 
  We 
  do 
  not 
  

   claim 
  to 
  have 
  exhausted 
  the 
  recorded 
  accounts, 
  but 
  we 
  have 
  obtained 
  

   all 
  that 
  were 
  known 
  and 
  available 
  to 
  us 
  at 
  the 
  time 
  they 
  were 
  written 
  

   and 
  printed 
  (now 
  so 
  long 
  ago 
  as 
  October, 
  1905). 
  In 
  order 
  to 
  include 
  

   some 
  more 
  recently 
  recorded 
  facts 
  we 
  have 
  added 
  an 
  " 
  Addendum 
  " 
  to 
  

   our 
  earlier 
  chapter 
  on 
  "Hybridisation." 
  

  

  For 
  the 
  compilation 
  of 
  the 
  " 
  Synopsis 
  of 
  Contents 
  " 
  and 
  the 
  

   " 
  Index 
  " 
  we 
  are 
  indebted 
  to 
  the 
  great 
  kindness 
  of 
  Mr. 
  H. 
  J. 
  Turner, 
  who 
  

   at 
  once 
  responded 
  to 
  our 
  request 
  for 
  help 
  in 
  this 
  direction, 
  whilst 
  for 
  the 
  

   plates 
  illustrating 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  structural 
  details 
  we 
  are 
  again 
  indebted 
  

   to 
  the 
  great 
  generosity 
  of 
  Dr. 
  T. 
  A. 
  Chapman, 
  who, 
  in 
  addition, 
  has 
  

   given 
  us 
  sufficient 
  copies 
  of 
  a 
  chromo-lithograph 
  plate, 
  illustrating 
  the 
  

   early 
  stages 
  of 
  Buckleria 
  pallidum, 
  to 
  supply 
  each 
  of 
  our 
  original 
  

   subscribers 
  with 
  a 
  copy. 
  

  

  That 
  the 
  volume 
  will 
  obtain 
  as 
  satisfactory 
  a 
  reception 
  from, 
  and 
  

   prove 
  as 
  useful 
  to, 
  scientific 
  lepidopterists 
  as 
  its 
  predecessors, 
  and 
  that 
  

   the 
  work 
  will 
  help 
  forward, 
  on 
  scientific 
  lines, 
  our 
  favourite 
  study, 
  is 
  

   the 
  earnest 
  wish 
  of 
  the 
  author. 
  

  

  