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 thej 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 Entoraology 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 Coleoptcres 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 Bein- 
hidia 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 Curculionidce, Wollaston's Atomarioe. 
If I had not praised them, I would have added my own Cercyonidce and 
Catopsidce. 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 Hydi^adephaga 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 many 
