VI 
PREFACE. 
in accordance with the increasing recovery of Germany. 
Considerable difficulties for the illustration also arose from the frequent interruptions in the postal 
service in post-war times. By appointing the most unqualified men to the higher and lower offices during 
the Revolution, the despatch of valuable and at the same time delicate objects hat been for several years made 
quite impossible. Thus particularly the Lycaenid plates exhibit much fewer life-like figures than the preceding 
plates, and some faults in the illustration are therefore rather due to the lack of original specimens than to their 
having been incorrectly reproduced by the fine art printers. The author has therefore unhesitatingly pointed 
out in the text the faults in such cases where they were particularly glaring. 
In most of those cases where the illustrations were recognised to be insufficient for identifying a 
form, because some species vary too much as to be made distinct enough by a figure which always only reproduces 
a certain individual, or because there ware doubts as to the reliability of the original specimen or of the repro¬ 
duction, it has been tried to compensate for it by dealing more at large with the respective insect. The author, 
by means of his comprehensive survey, and by his being thoroughtly acquainted with the subject dealt 
with, appeared to be more capable than any other compiler to point out and particularise the distinctive 
marks, so that the present volume may be especially suitable as a basis for monographies on groups of exotic 
Rhopalocera. About 3700 Ethiopian forms have been treated, and now for the first time both collectors and 
museums will be able to identify their collections without having to gather together the multifarious literature 
taking up so much time. We beg to emphasize this particularly in the African volume, since the material sent 
to us, in spite of its scantiness, proved that there is in no other fauna such great uncertainty of determination 
as we were able to perceive even in large and otherwise thoroughly examined collections with respect to the 
African returns. 
It is probably hardly necessary to repeat also in this volume what has often been hinted at in other 
volumes, that this thirteenth volume is neither intended to supply a combination of exhaustive monographies, 
although some groups that had hitherto been rather little cleared up (e. g. Diestrogyna) have been dealt with 
more at large than was done in other groups which are more easily understood. Owing to the fact that the whole 
work is the first of its kind, the editor expects the scientific world to criticize it mildly. With a manual it is 
quite impossible to aspire to the correct solution of all doubtful and uncertain points of the extensive matter. 
There is no room whatever for any critical discussions, since all the species known of the macrolepidoptera 
had to be dealt with, and the author has often followed the editor’s desire of keeping up old, erroneous, or 
unproved matters in the arrangement and systematical order, so as to avoid extensive discussions which are 
not in the intention of the total work. What had hitherto been wanting, and is to be called into existence here, 
is not a critical manual, but a work of reference, which may easily be taken along to foreign countries 
and instruct the collector there in what way he may quickly recognize and value his exploits. Such a work 
has hitherto been missing; long, circumstantial extracts and notices from special works, copies of faunistic 
lists, and sketch-books had been necessary, unless the collector, on his return, much to his disappointment, 
would find out that he had paid attention to unworthy and well-known insects and had overlooked the noteworthy 
ones. 
At this final aim the editor has always been striving, and if the author, by his conscientiousness and 
eminent practical knowledge, has nevertheless corrected many a mistake of the hitherto existing literature 
on the Ethiopian Rhopalocera and has also taken into consideration the latest researches, whilst a supplemental’} 7 
essay is planned for the families having been published previous to it, we beg to accept this special work as 
a compensation for the various shortcomings in the illustrations, particularly also in the designation of the 
plates exhibiting in many cases the disturbances caused during the war — and post -— war troubles of the last 
decade. 
The other point of view having led to the start of the ,,Macrolepidoptera“ — to enable its owner to 
judge quickly about any offers or acquisitions — has not for one moment been left unregarded in this volume. 
The difficulties of getting a clear notion of many Ethiopian lepidoptera by means of the frequently extensive 
diagnoses or insufficient representations of the old technique, impeded the sufficient utilization of faunistic 
classifications. Though there are excellent monographies on numerous groups of African Rhopalocera to hand, 
yet they do not exist with other genera, and a perfect idea of any newly appearing faunistic list could only 
be obtained after having procured works and journals that were partly difficult to get hold of. Of what 
great use the ,,Macrolepidoptera” may be in this respect, might be proved by the attempt of procuring a general 
view of the African Heterocera, the proper elaboration of which is only beginning just now; such a survey can be 
gained to-day only by toilsome and time-consuming studies. 
