76 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



NOTICES OF NEW BOOKS. 



British Flies. Vol. VIII. By G. H. Verrall. 

 Gurne.v & Jackson. 



This is the first of fourteen volumes on the British Diptera, 

 in which Mr. Verrall proposes to describe and illustrate a very 

 much neglected order of our insular insects. In writing his first 

 volume, he has already helped to fill a gap which existed on the 

 shelves containing the publications on the Natural History of 

 Britain. 



This volume commences the series devoted to the Diptera 

 Cyclorrhapha, and describes the Platypezidse, Pipunculidse, and 

 Syrphidse. It is not a compilation, and for the very best reasons : 

 firstly, the antecedent publication is too small for the purpose; 

 and secondly, it is the result and condensation of some thirty 

 years' collecting and observation. It mostly follows the best 

 traditions of monographic productions, although on many points 

 Mr. Verrall is a law unto himself. Thus the synonymy of the 

 genera and species has been deferred to a catalogue at the end 

 of the volume, though the author's synonymical criticisms are 

 appended to his descriptions of the species. We are, perhaps, 

 old-fashioned, but we like this course as little as the sometime 

 practice of discarding footnotes, and placing such references in 

 the same position as Mr. Verrall's synonymical records are to be 

 found. 



The author's descriptions of the species are ample, concise, 

 and clear, and if his views recently expressed in a presidential 

 address — that all insufficient descriptions should be discarded — 

 are to be followed, then, as a logical correlation, the name of 

 Verrall should injustice be applied as the parent name to many 

 of these species. But we do not think this is likely to take 

 place ; all reforms are only partial ; you may shift, but you 

 cannot abolish, the vested interest. In nomenclature there is no 



