REVIEWS OP NEW PUBLICATIONS. 
337 
“ 5thly. It win be a catalogue of the author’s cabinet,"those without a * being 
his desiderata, and of those with a t he has only foreign specimens. The names 
in italics denote those which are doubtful natives.” 
The only comprehensive divisions employed by Mr. Curtis in this volume are 
orders. These are sixteen in number '.-^Thymnura^ Coleoptera^ Dermaptera^ 
Dictyoptera^ Orthoptera, Strepsiptera^ Hymenoptera^ Neuroptera^ Trichoptera^ 
Lepidoptera^ Homoptera^ Hemiptem^ Aphaniptera^ Diptera^ Omaloptera, Of 
his second order there are no British examples. 
Now we cannot consider any entomological arrangement perfect without the 
introduction of families, if not of tribes, &c. These families would, in many in¬ 
stances, take the places of the Linneean genera. Thus the species formerly 
ranged in the genus Papilio would now form the Butterfly family, Papili- 
onidcB; those of the genus PhalcBna would in like manner become the 
Moth family, Phalmnidce; and so on. This, certainly, is a mere matter of 
opinion; and, however the question might be settled—whether a verdict of 
guilty or not guilty were returned against. Mr. Curtis by a jury of entomological 
systematists—there can, we think, be but one opinion regarding the value and 
importance of the catalogue which we trust we have induced a considerable num¬ 
ber of our readers to purchase. 
British Oology ; being Illustrations of the Eggs of British Birds, with Figures 
of each Species, as far as practicable drawn and coloured from Nature: accom¬ 
panied by Descriptions of the Materials and Situation of their Nests, Number of 
Eggs, &c. By WiLLiAM C. Hewitson. Edwards, London. Nos. xxxii. & 
xxxiii. May, 1837. 
With much pleasure we revert to Mr. Hewitson’s beautiful publication,, which 
has always been a favourite with us, and indeed, as far as we are aware, with 
every competent ornithologist and oologist. 
The first plate contains a figure of the egg of the Caspian Tern (Sterna Cas¬ 
pian Pall.), characteristic and accurate, no doubt, but scarcely so highly finished 
as it might have been. In a practical point of view we have rarely any fault to 
find with the plates in this work; but, regarded as mere works of art, we gene¬ 
rally fail to discover the roundness and solidity of the originals. The attempt to 
impart these qualities to the figures by the somewhat hard shading towards, the 
outline, is, we must confess, feeble, and frequently has more the appearance of a 
groove in the egg than anything else. However, this can never in the slightest 
degree detract from the real value of the work ^ and; as the publication now ra¬ 
pidly approaches its completion, it may be deemed; rather late to otfer critical 
remarks of the nature of the above. 
The Caspian Tern is said to make no nest, depositing its eggs upon the bare 
rock, or in some slight depression on the sea-beach; they are two or three in 
number. For this variety I am indebted to the collection of Mr. Yarrell.” 
