THE ENTOMOLOGIST’S WEEKLY INTELLIGENCER. 
31 
an evening at sugaring. — E. L. K., 
King's Lynn, Norfolk. 
NOTICES OF BOOKS. 
The Lepidopterist's Calendar. By Joseph 
Mekkin. E. Newman, 9, Devonshire 
Street, Bishopsgate Street, London. 
At length we have a complete Calendar 
of the British Lepidoptera, published at 
the low price of eighteen -pence. I f the 
shade of Sainouelle were to revisit the 
precincts of the British Musenm, how it 
would stare to see the idea of a Calendar 
thus carried out ! 
Mr. Merrin observes, in the Introduc- 
tion to the volume before us, — 
“ To know how to do a thing is a 
great step towards its accomplishment; 
but to know exactly when to do it is 
often the one thing needful to ensure 
success. This applies with great force 
to the pursuit of Natural History, and 
particularly to Lepidoptera. The regu- 
larity .with which, at certain definite 
dates, most species of butterflies and 
moths ordinarily appear is almost mar- 
vellous; and many species are not ob- 
tained in fine condition through inatten- 
tion to the time of their advent, while 
some may be missed altogether. The 
annual loss to Science in specimens and 
knowledge from collectors not looking 
after larvae at the only times when they 
are to be found cannot be estimated, but 
it must be very great.” 
With respect to the plan of the work, 
the author observes that — 
“ In giving the times of appearance of 
the larvae it has not been thought de- 
sirable to increase the bulk of the work 
by specifying the dates which would in- 
clude the whole period of larva-life ; the 
time chosen has, therefore, been when 
the caterpillar is nearly full fed, except 
when it is hatched in the autumn and 
feeds up in the spring, when the two 
dates are given. The food of the larvae 
has generally been ranged under a bead- 
ing when more than one species feed 
upon it. This grouping of the food 
will much facilitate the capture of the 
larvae, by indicating at a glance the 
various species which feed upon a par- 
ticular plant at a particular time, while 
identification is much facilitated.” 
Thus, if we turn to May, p. 28, we 
find lists of the larvae which are to be 
met with in that month on alder, apple, 
ash, bedstraw, beech, bilberry, birch, 
bramble, broom, buckthorn, currant, 
elm, &c., &c., and of course an incipient 
who finds a larva in May, on bramble, 
looks through the list of bramble-feediug 
larvae, in the expectation of being thus 
led, by an easy road, to the name of the 
creature he has in his hand. 
On the whole, we are of opinion that 
this volume will be found very service - 
able to all that numerous class who 
have not already learned everything by 
their own experience. 
Complete in Two Vols.,fcp. 8vo, cloth, 
price 10s., 
A MANUAL of BRITISH BUT- 
TERFLIES and MOTHS. By 
H. T. Stainton. 
This work contains descriptions of 
nearly 2000 species, interspersed with 
observations on their peculiarities and 
times of appearance, &c., and is illus- 
trated with more than 200 woodcuts. 
London: John Van Voorst, 1, Pater- 
noster Row. 
