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The Naturalist. 



basis for the nomenclature of British species. A catalogue is also in 

 print containing the names of all the parasitic hymenoptera pertaining 

 to the British Museum. The best work undoubtedly offered to the 

 public is Dr. Snellen van Volleuhoven's " Pinacographia," containing 

 over 1000 figures, all remarkably well executed, and in cases where 

 insects are shown magnified, dimension lines are given alongside. 

 The main points of construction delineating specific difierences are 

 also particularised where needful. Altogether, as a first-class work 

 on an immature subject it cannot be too strongly recommended. An 

 English translation is rendered with the Dutch. In the introduction 

 to the book the author says : — " The text is a matter of secondary 

 importance, and will only contain the explanation of the plates, 

 diagnoses, and short descriptions of new species, with analytical 

 tables and some remarks on biology. Meanwhile it may be possible 

 that the drawing of such a number of figures will procure me so much 

 knowledge of the different genera, that I may be induced at the end 

 of this work to give a general systematic review of the families 

 examined." Until the appearance of this book doubtless the illustra- 

 tions of works of a similar character were radically bad (I mean with 

 respect to diagrams), and more especially to early students of the 

 order this fact appeared as an insuperable barrier to progression. 

 Figures of hymenoptera are more valuable than descriptions, and 

 consequently we must hail " Pinacographia " as a changing-point of 

 the defection. Most works on ichneumons are foreign, and lie inter- 

 spersed amongst other groups. The monographs by Holmgren 

 (which can be purchased at a fair price) are notorious, and foremost 

 in the literature of parasitic hymenoptera is Gravenhorst's Ichneu- 

 monologia Europsea," from which indirectly emanated the publications 

 of Ratzeburg and Desvignes. Various works and scattered fragments 

 are also to be met with, by Forster, Wesmael, Curtis, Marshall, and 

 others, and chance articles in the British magazines. M. Ed. Andre, 

 member of the French Entomological Society, has forwarded to me a 

 prospectus of a work he is publishing, entitled " Species des Hymen- 

 opteres d' Europe." I believe he intends to commence his work with 

 the Tenthredinida^ taking up afterwards Ichneumonidce and Braconida ; 

 and if the book treats upon one-half of that which is specified in the 

 prospectus, it promises to be an excellent undertaking. And lastly, 

 for Yorkshire hymenopterists we have Mr. Roebuck's inaugurative 

 paper in the Transactions of the Yorkshire Union ; but he shames 

 Yorkshire collectors by being only able to give a list of known county 

 insects numbering 50 or 60 species. It is but a sorry compliment to 



