Notices of New Books. 4877 



* Catalogue of British Hymenoptera in the Collection of the British 



Museum' By Frederick Smith, M.E.S. Part I. Apidae — 

 Bees. London : Printed by order of the Trustees. 1855. 

 248 pp. 12mo, 10 plates: price 6s. 



Our readers will doubtless recollect Mr. Smith's admirable papers 

 on British Bees which appeared from time to time in the pages of the 



* Zoologist.' There was a comprehensiveness of thought, a mastery of 

 the subject, and a lucidity of arrangement about them, which at once 

 raised the author to the very highest rank as an entomological writer, 

 and which rendered the students of our bees the greatest possible 

 assistance. To myself these papers were of peculiar value and interest, 

 inasmuch as for several years 1 had paid almost exclusive attention to 

 this somewhat neglected tribe ; and with Kirby for my guide I had 

 succeeded in identifying a large proportion of our species. Admirable, 

 however, as are the descriptions of the ■ Monographia,' I could not 

 resist the conviction that a more intimate knowledge of the living 

 insects would have induced the learned author to associate, under one 

 specific name, bees which appeared to me to differ only in sex or in 

 the still less satisfactory character of age. Mr. Smith did everything 

 I desired, associating sexes and varieties, with a judgment that struck 

 me as little less than miraculous. From that time to the present 

 Mr. Smith has directed great attention and much time to perfecting 

 his knowledge of the tribe, until his researches have culminated in the 

 production of a volume which must unquestionably be pronounced the 

 best entomological monograph in the British language. This is saying 

 a great deal, when we bear in mind the labours of Kirby, Shuckard, 

 Denny, Stainton and others ; but it is the peculiar charm of 

 Mr. Smith's writings that he always carries conviction to the mind 

 that he is perfectly acquainted with the subject on which he is 

 writing. Other authors appear to do the best that can be done 

 " considering the obscurity of the subject," — " considering the paucity 

 of materials," — " considering the erroneous statements of previous 

 writers, and the utter worthlessness of their labours:" Mr. Smith 

 needs no such apologetic qualifications : no man living surpasses 

 him in his knowledge of the subject, and no one has hitherto 

 surpassed him in making that knowledge available to others. 



A debt of gratitude is also due to Dr. Gray for the zeal and energy 

 he has displayed in the publication of such works as these ; for 

 although this may possibly be the only one of the series properly 

 XIII. 2 Y 



