The Young Beetle - Collector's Handbook. By Dr. E. Hofmann, Curator of
the Royal Natural History Museum at Stuttgart. With an Introduction by W. Egmont Kirby, M.D. Illustrated by 20 Coloured Plates comprising over 500 figures. (Swan Sonnen- schein.)—The character of this little book is sufficiently ex- plained by its title. Our British beetles number about three thousand species, and a book fully describing them would be too difficult, and a book figuring them all, too costly ; and in either case too bulky to meet the requirements of a beginner. Here, however, we have an adaptation of a German work to British beetles, figuring and briefly describing a sufficient number of our British species to give a very fair idea of the whole subject, which can afterwards be extended, if the student finds himself sufficiently interested, by reference to the larger works of Cox and Fowler. The introduction of a certain number a interesting Continental species which are not found in Great Britain (care- fully distinguished by the absence of the asterisk placed before the name of every British species) will also be useful, not only by enlarging the ideas of a beginner by inducing him to take an interest in other than British species, but because European species are sometimes accidentally introduced into this country. It is, however, important that no collector should introduce a foreign specimen into his collection (nor, indeed, a rare British one, especially if he possesses any foreign ones) without a special label indicating its origin, &c. ; and, if possible the place and date of capture. Previous introductory books on British beetles, such as those of Wood and Rye, include only a comparatively small number of figures and descriptions, and the present work may be used either alone, or in conjunction with these or others.
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