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Volume 30, Number 2
143
several competent technical reviewers prior to publication. The selection of the majority of the contributors from the West Coast has lent an unfortunate parochial flavor to the text. One receives the distinct impression that there is nothing of taxonomic interest east of the Great Basin. The plates are a major disappointment, especially in the lycaenids and hesperiids where they are most needed. It is unfortunate that this book, which had the potential for being a really definitive treatise on the North American butterflies, has fallen so far short of the mark. I am sure that there will be those who will praise the book, citing its utility to amateurs and the fact that nearly every North American species is figured. To them, I would reply that while the book has its good points, the novice collector can be easily misled in a number of areas because of problems with the text and illustrations. As a consequence of the number of flaws which produce frustration in the reader, the work as a whole must be considered as marginally worth the price.
Clifford D. Ferris, Bioengineering Program, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming 82071.
Mites of Moths and Butterflies, by Asher E. Treat. 1975. Cornell University Press, Ithaca, N. Y., 362 p., 150 figures (Frontispiece in color). Price $35.00 (U.S.).
Clearly a classic work both for substance, including a remarkable amount of original (unpublished) material, and for scholarly and poetic style! The introductory section covers a concise history of mite-moth scientific discovery, a fine chapter on methods of study and a brief, thoughtful account of the important characteristics of mites.
In the body of the book, major sections (Mesostigmata: Acariformes) and chapters are presented under higher taxa headings, for the mites, but within each chapter the arrangement is ". . . primarily ecological at familial or lower levels" (Author's preface).
This is also a well-edited and very useful book with (1) 150 figures of excellent quality, (2) lists of moth-mite and mite-moth records, (3) keys to mites recorded from moths, (4) an extensive bibliography and (5) geographic and general indexes. The book should be read by not only "lepidopterists, acarologists and parasitologists" (vide Author) but by all amateur and professional scientists.
Mites of Moths and Butterflies will form a solid foundation for and be a lasting stimulus to future studies in many fields of scientific research. Truly a basic excellent book for any lepidopterist's library.
William B. Nutting, Department of Zoology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts 01002.
Butterflies of Lebanon, by Torben B. Larsen. 1974. National Council for Scientific Research, (C.N.R.S.), Beirut, Republic of Lebanon, xv + 255 p. Price: £7.50 sterling (U.K.), $22.50 (U.S.). Distributed in the U.K. by E. W. Classey, Ltd., Park Road, Faringdon, Berks. SN7 7DR, England, and in the U.S. by Entomological Reprint Specialists, P. O. Box 77224, Dockweiler Station, Los Angeles, California 90007, U.S.A.
A review is a very personal thing to the reviewer. Without attempting to pass moral judgment, recent events in Lebanon have made the writing of this review especially difficult. Make no mistake about it, though, Larsen has written a very good book, and the Lebanese National Council for Scientific Research is to be congratulated for producing it in its present form.