REVIEWS AND BOOK NOTICES. 161 
the species of butterflies, then known attempting to refer them to 
the genera usually recognized, or to those established by them- 
selves. Since that time, the number of described forms has enor- 
mously increased, while the labor of specialists has multiplied the 
recognized genera at a nearly corresponding rate. Such being the 
state of the case, a faithful attempt to reduce’ the chaos to more 
or less complete order must be welcomed by every working lepi- 
dopterist ; the task is in many respects a thankless one, inasmuch 
= aS by its very nature it must soon become antiquated and no 
amount of supplements can prevent the absolute necessity of an 
entirely new catalogue in the course of one or two decades. Let 
us then present to Mr. Kirby the thanks of the present generation 
of American entomologists on the accomplishment of his under- 
takin 
g. 
The classification of the larger groups in the work under review 
is mainly that proposed not long since by Mr. Bates—one which 
| is undoubtedly an advance upon its predecessors, but which still 
_ Seems open to criticism — Mr. Kirby, however, has altered some of 
= names accepted by Mr. Bates, supplanting, for instance, Ery- 
cinidæ by Lemoniide because the generic name Erycina proves to ` 
be preoccupied. The justice of this does not seem to us manifest ; 
x in any case they are both antedated by the name Vestales 
on to this group by Herbst as early as 1793, but which has 
never since been recognized. 
The treatment of the genera is independent, but rather unequal, 
depending apparently either on the compiler’s autoptical familiar- 
~ with the- included species, or upon the amount of study given 
oy naturalists generally to certain groups. He has not hesitated 
” Make some very radical changes in nomenclature, and these ap- 
— us almost invariably just and in strict obedience to the 
_ Principles exposed in the preface; indeed it seems questionable 
W 3 : a . : * . 
for er he has always been sufficiently sweeping in this respect; 
| Nymphalide alone: and yet Mr. Kirby retains it in the 
sense, which has indeed the unanimous consent of ento- 
» but which cannot be defended by just rules of nomen- 
