THE YOUNG NATURALIST. 



45 



the drawings and note books, and we now have the first instalment of the 

 work. It would be manifestly unfair, to criticise in the ordinary way, a book 

 that is issued without the personal supervision of the author. A work indeed 

 that is but a number of fragments, collected with a view to future publication, 

 not a completed work at all. The letterpress is made up as follows : First 

 there is given the descriptions of larvse and their habits, as already published 

 from time to time by Messrs. Buckler and Hellins, in the E.M.M., almost 

 since its commencement. Second, we are given a large number of extracts, 

 hitherto unpublished, from Mr. Buckler's note books, of which we are 

 informed he left four volumes. Third, we are presented with an appendix 

 by the Eev. John Hellins, describing several larvse, of which Mr. Buckler 

 had left no description. This was rendered necessary, as we are in- 

 formed in the preface, because "of many comparatively common species, 

 which had long ago been carefully figured both in the larva and pupa 

 state, by William Buckler, no descriptive notes had been published by 

 him, nor were any found amongst his papers. It was necessary, therefore, 

 to try and supply to some extent these omissions." The book thus 

 made up contains figures of the larvse of no less than fifty-eight out of our 

 sixty-three species of butterflies, and descriptions more or less complete of 

 fifty-seven. Of many species several figures are given; in some cases as 

 many as six or eight, or even more ; of ApaCura Iris, there are eleven, repre- 

 senting different stages of growth, or different forms of the larva. If any of 

 our readers will reckon up how many of the butterflies they have reared, they 

 will agree that in this group Mr. Buckler has done a great work, and they 

 will find, as subsequent volumes appear, that as large, or perhaps a larger pro- 

 portion of other groups have been figured. It may be of interest to our 

 readers to mention those species, of which a full life history is not given in 

 the volume before us. They are— 



Colias Eyale. Egg and young larva described. No figure. 



Aporia Cratagi. No description. Figures given of young gregarious larvae 



after first moult, of larva after third and fourth moult, and of the 



pupa, six figures in all. 

 Erehia Cassiope. Young larva described and figured. Pupa described. 

 Argynnu Lathonia. Neither figure nor description. 

 Melitos Cinxia. No description \ two figures. 

 Thecla Pruni. No description ; four figures. 



„ W-Album. No description ; five figures. 

 Polyommatus Acis. Neither figure nor description. 



„ Arion. Egg described ; no figure. 

 Pamp/dla Comma, Egg described ; no figure. 



