50 THE AUSTRALIAN NATURALIST. 
but excellent introduction the technical terms and system 
of wing-venation terminology are fully explained, so that 
every description can be further elucidated, if desired, by 
a reference to this introduction. The authors have very 
rightly introduced the Trinomial System of Nomenclature 
into their book, for many of the species occurring in tropi- 
cal and sub-tropical Australia are simply geographical 
races of species known before from various parts of the 
Oriental Region, and the trinomial system accentuates 
this relationship. 
The descriptions are all based on one general plan, 
and are made as short as possible, compatible with com- 
pleteness and accuracy. An excellent map of Australia 
shows the position of all the localities recorded, with en- 
larged portions inset, to show in greater detail those places 
round which collecting has been carried out most fully. 
After each locality, under any given species, the months 
during which the butterfly has been on the wing, are re- 
presented by numerals, so that every student can picture 
to himself the time and place of occurrence of each species. 
The descriptions seem in every case to be easily followed 
and understood. Certainly, in conjunction with the ex- 
cellent figures of upper and under sides, they leave no 
room for doubt as to the identity of any specimen. 
A general survey of the Butterfly Fauna of Austra- 
lia, as described in this book, shows us how greatly two 
families of small but interesting species predominate. 
These are the Lycaenidai or ‘‘Blues,’’ with 94 species: 
and the Hesperidae or ‘‘Skipper,’’ with 92 species. Then 
these two families total between them 186 species, or well 
over half the total number recorded. One is apt to lose 
sight of this fact when contemplating the huge Papilios 
and other showy species that take up the greatest space 
in our collections. There is, amongst the smaller species, 
a large field still open, not only for the discovery of new 
forms, but also for the elucidation of many puzzling life 
histories. For those students who contemplate any ex- 
cursions into this field of knowledge the present book is 
an essential basis of study. - While we can look for no- 
thing better in the way of accomplishment, we may, how- 
ever, be allowed the hope that one day the authors of 
this beautiful work will give us the results of their re- 
searches into the life-histories of Australian Butterflies, 
and so complete this fascinating portion of our scientific 
knowledge. 
~ 
—R. J. LILLYARD. 
