316 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



A communication was read from Dr. A. G. Butler on a collection of 

 Lepidopterous Insects made by Dr. J. W. Gregory during his recent expedi- 

 tion to Mount Kenia. The specimens were referred to 215 species, of 

 which ten were stated to be new to science. 



This meeting closed the session 1893-94. — P. L. Sclater, Secretary. 



NOTICES OF NEW BOOKS. 



The Royal Natural History. Edited by Kichard Lydekker : 

 with Preface by P. L. Sclater. In six volumes ; illustrated 

 with 72 coloured plates and 1600 engravings. Vol. I., 

 pp. i.— xvi. ; 1—584. London : F. Warne & Co. 1894. 



The Editor and Publisher of this important work may well 

 be congratulated upon its satisfactory progress. Designed to 

 appear in thirty -six monthly parts, nine of these (or one-fourth 

 of the work) have now been published, and the first six parts 

 complete the first volume, for which the title-page, contents, and 

 index have been issued with part vii. 



Commencing with the Mammalia, chapter i. deals with the 

 principles of classification, general structure, and characteristics ; 

 chapters ii. — viii. are devoted to the Apes, Monkeys, and Lemurs ; 

 chapters ix. — xi. to Bats; chapter xii. to the Insectivora; 

 chapter xiii. to the Cat-tribe ; chapter xiv. to Civets, and Wolf 

 and Hyaenas ; and chapter xv. to Dogs. 



The more we have looked into the work the more we have 

 marvelled at the price at which it is being issued. Seeing that 

 each part contains about one hundred pages of letter-press, well* 

 printed and on good paper, fifty or sixty engravings, and two 

 coloured plates, we should consider it cheap at five shillings a part, 

 whereas the actual cost of each number is one shilling net ! 



It ought to have an enormous circulation, and, as an aid to the 

 diffusion of zoological knowledge, we hope it may. Mr. Lydekker 

 seems to have spared no pains in the preparation of the text, and 

 so far as we have been able to test it, the information in most 

 cases is well up to date. Extracts are given from the most 

 authoritative writers on special groups of animals, and we have 

 only to suggest, by way of improvement, that the titles of the 

 works or articles quoted should be mentioned in foot-notes, in 



