68 INTRODUCTION. 
turnal Lepidoptera (the only light in M-hich we are 
now considering it) : in its original form, by supply- 
ing excellent delineations of many fine species; and 
in its recent and improved shape, by its accurate 
descriptions, augmented historical details, and mo- 
dernised nomenclature. 
Cramer's " Papillons Exotiques des Trois Parties 
du Monde, I'Asie, I'Afrique, et I'Amerique," is one 
of the most valuable works ever published on the 
Lepidoptera of foreign countries. The first volume 
appeared at Amsterdam in 1779, and the fourth or 
last in 1782. It is large quarto size, containing 
four hundred plates, which, besides butterflies, afford 
representations of between eight and nine hundred 
moths and sphingideous insects, including many of 
the largest and most remarkable kinds found out of 
Europe. The engi-avings, upon the whole, are very 
accurate, and the colouring so good that the species 
can be at once recognised. These figures derive 
additional value from the consideration that they 
have been very often referred to by describers and 
systematists, so that we can easily determine what 
insect they meant when their descriptions, as often 
happens, prove so brief or imperfect as to leave us 
in doubt. The accompanying text is not of so 
much value as it might easily have been made, but 
a good deal of useful information may be gleaned 
from it. A supplement to this work has been pub- 
lished by Stoll (I79I), which is deserving of the 
mgnest commendation. It contains figures of up- 
wards of seventy moths and hawkmoths; but its 
