124 Proceedings of the Royal Physical Society. 



say, that there is no work falling within my present subject which com- 

 prises so much skilled labour in such small space. This catalogue is the 

 first step towards our procuring a good manual or entomological work in 

 the English language, giving descriptions of the species found in Britain. 

 Members are aware that we have no such work, and that at present, for 

 good working books of reference, we must have recourse to the Continent, 

 although even there they are not far ahead of us, no good work on the 

 subject having been yet completed, although some are in progress. The 

 British works which we do possess are Curtis's British Entomology , 

 Wilson and Duncan's Entomologia Edinensis, and Stephens' Illustra- 

 tions and Manual. Of these, Curtis's British Entomology gives a valu- 

 able series of coloured plates, which are so judiciously selected as to 

 represent almost every one of our modern genera. The text is certainly 

 not equal to the plates, and I do not think that Mr Curtis would now so 

 consider it himself. Entomological descriptions are very different things 

 from what they were when he wrote that work. The arrangement also 

 is confused, owing to the plan adopted — bringing out the work in parts 

 containing a little of each department at the same time, or nearly so ; 

 and the work generally would require to be revised to suit the modern 

 state of the science. The plates, however, are unsurpassed : they have 

 been published separately, and other use will yet be made of them. In 

 the meantime they give what is equivalent to the genera of most of our 

 British insects, and that not only in the Coleoptera, but in all the other 

 orders. The book, however, is out of print, and, besides, was so expen- 

 sive as to put it beyond general reach. There is now an equivalent to 

 this book publishing in Paris, so far as the Coleoptera are concerned. It 

 is styled the Genera des Coleopteres d' Europe, by M. Jacquelin du Val, a 

 very accurate entomologist, who first distinguished himself, some years 

 ago, by publishing a revision of that most perplexing family, the Bern- 

 bidia of Europe. His present work gives a beautiful coloured figure, 

 with details, of every genus known in Europe. The other English works 

 capable of assisting him in this object are the Entomologia Edinensis, 

 by the late Mr James Wilson and Mr W. Duncan, applicable only to a 

 small portion of British species, and, moreover, out of print. Stephens' 

 Illustrations and Manual, although of the highest value when they 

 first appeared, are now felt to be so cumbered with blunders and inac- 

 curacies, that many think it better not to use them at all. A few more 

 monographs of British species of certain groups, which are everything 

 that one could wish, so far as they go, but only embrace a small part of 

 the subject, will not supply the deficiency. I refer to Dawson's British 

 Geodephaga, Walton's British Curculionido3, Wollaston's Atomario3. 

 If I had not praised them, I would have added my own Cercyonidai and 

 Catopsido?. By getting British entomologists to take up special groups 

 in this way, we may at last obtain materials sufficient to make it easy for 

 a compiler to throw the whole into one work. Until that is done, we 

 must look abroad ; and although we do not obtain even there anything 

 complete which I could recommend, we shall there find what we want in 

 progress, either in French or German, as our inclinations may lead us. 

 On the one hand, we have Fairmaire and Laboulbene's Faune Frangaise, 

 of which the first volume only is published — a large duodecimo at a cheap 

 price ; on the other hand we have the Insecten Deutschland, which was 

 commenced by Erichson, resumed, in a spirit and with an ability worthy 

 of Erichson himself, by MM. Schaum, Kraatz, and von Kiesenwetter. 

 M. Schaum has taken the Geodephaga and Hydradephaga in hand ; M. 

 Kraatz has supplied the Staphylinidce ; M. von Kiesenwetter is engaged 

 upon the Buprestidce and Elateridce. This is the work which I would 

 recommend for British entomologists. The fauna of Germany is in man y 



