20 



THE YOUNG 



NATUEALTST. 



is necessary to success. But whether any 

 of these have a lengthened existence or not, 

 their appearance in such numbers is an 

 event quite unique in the history of the 

 literature of Natural History. 



THE "YOUNG NATURALIST" 

 ILLUSTRATED CATALOGUE 

 OF BRITISH INSECTS. 



We issue with the present number the 

 first plate, which we trust will receive 

 favourable consideration. The plates are 

 so prepared that they may be bound up 

 with the volume of the magazine with which 

 they are issued, or for those who wish to 

 arrange the figures in scientific order, that 

 they may be easily cut up and mounted. 

 To assist in re-mounting we have prepared 

 suitable sheets, for prices of which we beg 

 refer to announcement on the cover. With 

 reference to the figures themselves we would 

 say that they are all drawn from actual 

 specimens, each of which has undergone 

 minute microscopic examination, and that 

 every pains has been taken to make the 

 figures absolutely correct. The actual ex- 

 ample from which the figure is drawn has 

 been carefully selected, and is marked and 

 put away for future reference. This may 

 not be important with the species figured 

 In the first plates, but may become so when 

 we come to rarer and less known species. 

 We shall thus always be able to refer to 

 the original of the figure, that errors may 

 be easily rectified and doubtful points set 

 at rest. 



We have to thank many readers for 

 hints and suggestions, and will be obliged 

 for further criticism and assistance. That 

 they may understand our plans, so far 

 as they are settled, we would say that we 

 propose in variable species to give an ex- 

 ample of each well-marked form or local 

 race, but not to figure accidental or ab- 

 normal forms. Larvae will be separately 



figured, and where it appears advisable the 

 habitation of either larva or pupa will also 

 be figured. But in cases where the larvae 

 difter in structure in different genera, but in 

 the species are so much alike in colour and 

 markings as to be almost undistinguishable, 

 it seems sufficient to give but one larva in a 

 genus. Where the construction or shape 

 of some particular organ is of importance 

 in distinguishing genera or species, details 

 of such organs will be figured separately, 

 either by woodcuts in the text as in case of 

 the tarsi given in this number with the 

 article on Geodephaga, or on the plates 

 themselves. We trust we will thus induce 

 our readers not only to name their speci- 

 mens from comparison with the figures, but 

 also to study those details of construction 

 that are considered to be of importance in 

 grouping and arranging them. While we 

 will endeavour to give as much variety as 

 possible, no two successive plates being 

 intended to be of the same order, we will 

 also try to exhaust one group before passing 

 to another. Thus our first plates of Coleop- 

 tera are taken from the first group, Geo- 

 dephaga. We will continue to figure Geo- 

 dephaga until we have exhausted our stock, 

 and will then pass on to another group, 

 returning to the Geodephaga as we obtain 

 specimens, until the whole of the species 

 occurring in Britain have been given. In 

 Lepidoptera we propose to begin with the 

 Pyralidina, a group of which no satisfactory 

 figures are published in an easily obtainable 

 form. The first plate of this group will be 

 given next month, and will include a figure 

 of the newly-discovered larva of EpJiestia 

 passulella, for which we are indebted to 

 Mr. G. T. Porritt, of Huddersfield. All 

 new species we obtain will be figured in the 

 first plate of that order issued after we 

 obtain the specimen. We hope this may 

 be of some service, as it will enable collec- 

 tors to compare such figures with their 

 unnamed specimens, and often lead to 



