Reviews and Notices of Books. 343 



Mr Stainton next gives some observations on the British Tineina, 

 as supplementary to his work on them in the Insecta Britannica, 

 and Entomologist's Companion; and he answers some " enigmas" 

 which he had propounded in the latter work, chiefly relating to 

 the breeding of some of these small moths. A recapitulation of 

 some other of his enigmas, which have not yet been solved, closes 

 his portion of the Annual. 



Mr Frederick Smith of the British Museum next takes up the 

 Hymenoptera. He adds 59 species to our British bees, as hav- 

 ing been noticed since the publication of Kirby's Monographia 

 Apium Angliae in 1802. With the exception of half-a-dozen, the 

 whole of these seem to have been discovered by Mr Smith himself 

 within the last few years — a testimony to his abilities as an ento- 

 mologist which our readers will know how to appreciate. In the 

 Lepidoptcra and Coleoptera Mr Stainton and Mr Janson have drawn 

 their materials from numerous sources ; but Mr Smith has had 

 the field of Hymenoptera almost entirely to himself. Three of the 

 finest species, however, have not fallen to his lot. Osmia parie- 

 tina fell to Mr Curtis ; Bombus Lapponicus, Fab. was first found 

 by Mr Newman, and the fine Bombus Smithianus, White (arcticus, 

 Dahlbon.) was captured in Shetland by Mr Adam White. 



Mr Smith adds 6 new species to the fossorial Hymenoptera 

 published by Mr Shuckard, and a like number to the MyrmicidcB 

 and Formicidce ; and concludes by giving a couple of valuable 

 pages of " notes in explanation of the new species of aculeate 

 Hymenoptera in Stephens' Systematic Catalogue," in every line 

 of which one of Mr Stephens' species is destroyed after this fashion : 

 " Pompilus nervosus, Steph., is the female of P. gibbus, Lin.;" u Pom- 

 pilus basalis, Steph., is the male of P. gibbus, Lin." &c. &c. ; and he 

 knocks off 65 of Stephens' species in this way. He does not tell 

 us how he has come to the conclusion he announces, but we pre- 

 sume it is from an examination of Stephens' own type specimens 

 now in the British Museum ; and Mr Smith's mere statement of 

 the result to which he has come will, we are sure, be received by 

 entomologists in general as quite sufficient evidence of its accuracy. 

 To such obliteration of Stephens' species and names entomologists 

 are now well accustomed ; and they are much indebted to those 

 who undertake the ungrateful task of clearing up the confusion 

 which that celebrated entomologist has unhappily made. Mr 

 Smith has limited himself to the portion of the Hymenoptera above 

 noticed. A separate work on the Chalcidites must first be exe- 

 cuted before they can contribute their share to new acquisitions. 



The Coleoptera, which occupy the remainder of the volume, have 

 been undertaken by Mr E. W. Janson, who has bestowed very 

 great care and attention on his part of the work. His list in- 

 cludes all those species which have been noticed as occurring in 

 Britain since the publication of Stephens 1 Manual in 1839. The 



