426 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



present, and hence Dr. Sharp does not consider it too much to 

 anticipate that 30,000 or even 40,000 forms may yet be acquired. 

 We quite agree with him, however, in the opinion that " the 

 species of Rhopalocera seem to be peculiarly liable to dimorphic, 

 to seasonal, and to local variation ; so that it is possible that 

 ultimately the number of true species — that is, forms that do not 

 breed together actually or by means of intermediates, morpho- 

 logical or chronological — may have to be considerably reduced." 

 In the almost congested entomological literature of the 

 present day, this work will long maintain a distinctly acknow- 

 ledged individuality. 



Lancashire Sea Fisheries. By Charles L. Jackson. 

 Manchester : Abel Heywood & Son. 



This is a polemic, but a valuable one. It is almost precisely 

 on the lines and argument of Prof. Mcintosh's ' Resources of the 

 Sea,' which was noticed recently in these pages (ante, p. 188), 

 being a protest against the State's interference with man's liveli- 

 hood by means of the fishing industry. Of course this is a very 

 wide question. Is our supply of marine fishes seriously jeopar- 

 dized by the action of the free use of the trawl and net ? Many 

 hold that it is, as, for instance, Prof. Herdman, who is treated 

 in this reprinted lecture very frankly by Mr. Jackson, who, on 

 the contrary, holds that the enormous fecundity of most marine 

 animals is an all-sufficient protection against the destructive 

 influence of man. We have described this publication as a 

 polemic, but a valuable one. Its very strenuous advocacy makes 

 it the first ; its many excellent recorded facts and observations 

 redeem it, and constitute it a welcome addition to the literature of 

 the subject. Perhaps, however, the author was more concerned 

 with the controversial element ; still the natural history reader 

 will probably forget the sorrows of the fishermen, and revel in 

 the anecdotal details of the life-histories of his prey. 



