British Butterflies : being a Popular Handbook for Young Students
and Collectors. By j. W. Tutt, F.E.S. (George Gill and Sons.)— Mr. Tutt, the editor of the Entomologist's Record and Journal of Variation, has here given us a more elaborate account of our few British butterflies than is contained in most of the numerous works on the same subject that have lately issued from the press. The more special part of the book ie preceded by chapters on transformations, rearing, collecting and preservation, ; and in the later chapters the information respecting each species is divided under such heads as Synonyms, Imago, Variation, Egg, Larva), Pupas, Time of Appearance, and Habitat and Distribu- tion. The illustrations, though not coloured, are, on the whole, very good, especially the plates, which are well shown up by a tinted background, a great improvement on the ordinary system, and one which we should like to see more frequently adopted. The system of classification differs somewhat from that in general use, the author commencing with the Hesperidx, and ending with the Satyric's:, a reverse order to that usually adopted. Mr. Tutt is an authority on the variation of British Lepidoptera, and this has naturally been made a useful and prominent feature in his book. We are glad to see, too, that he has called special atten- tion to the reckless and wholesale destruction of specimens by certain dealers and collectors, which is rapidly exterminating almost every species of British butterfly and moth which is suffi- ciently scarce or local to have any money value at all.
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