3 NOVEMBER 1917, Page 9

The Life of the Caterpillar, by J. Henri Fabre, translated

by A. Teixeira de Mattes (Hodder and Stoughton, 6s. net), is the sixth volume in English of the great French entomologist's writings, and is as interesting as any of the others. Henri Fabre was not merely a patient observer ; he was able to describe exactly what he saw in a style which, for all its apparent simplicity, charms and holds the reader. However little one may care for the details of insect life, one cannot help becoming absorbed in Henri Fahres experiences with his caterpillars.