Review: a history book on British butterflies

[Michael Gochfeld]

With regard to a recent interchange which suggested that it would be of 
interest to post reviews of books, I submit to the list the following 
(an abbreviated version of which will be published in CHOICE, the 
journal of the American Library Association). I can also share some 
other recent reviews published there. 
===============================================================
Salmon, Michael A. The Aurelian legacy: British butterflies and their 
collectors. University of California Press, 2000   432 pp. ISBN 
0-520-22963-0 $35.00

This is a unique and fascinating history/biography of lepidoptery and 
lepidopterists of Britain, tracing the evolution of the sport or science 
from the mid-1500's (and particularly the late 1600's) to the present, 
including 101 mini-biographies (97 male/4 female).  The descriptions and 
illustrations of the butterflies, their pursuers, and the equipment used 
are engaging and informative.  The first 90 pages gives a history of 
collecting and the description of the devices used for obtaining and 
preserving specimens. These are linked to the changes in the culture and 
couture of the British. About 140 pages are devoted to the 101 
biographies (all deceased) from which one could reconstruct changes in 
the science and art of lepidoptery. The biographies are uneven in 
coverage reflecting both the stature of the subject and the availability 
of information.  Publications and descriptions are highlighted, often in 
much detail. There are interesting photos of field outings and of 
collection cabinets. We learn that there is no extant specimen of an 
certain kind of clapnet used in the 1800s.  
	 About 100 pages are devoted to accounts of 35 species of 
British butterflies, each conveying some unusual features of 
systematics, ecology, or behavior.  A short chapter covers the issue of 
conservation and collecting, a debate which is traced back to the early 
1800's. The two appendices list all the butterflies of the United 
Kingdom and the entomological societies and resources currently 
available to those who would embark on the hobby or study of 
butterflies. There are 41 color and 162 black and white plates, 
including the oft-published photo of Baron Rothschild driving his zebra 
team. Many of the details in the text are peripheral to butterflies, but 
provide a flavor of the times, for example the description of a dinner 
in the 1830s.  "Aurelian" in the title refers to the first British 
entomologic society, formed in the early 1700s. This is an engaging and 
well-illustrated book and its history transcends Britain, for American 
lepidopterists trod the same paths---albeit somewhat later.
	This is not a book for someone making a field trip to England. 
It is not an identification guide (many of the color plates are of 18th 
century paintings). 
	To be sure there are many details which some will find enriching 
and others trivial.  We learn that William Kirby read scriptures in 
Greek or Hebrew before breakfast and the Christian fathers after 
breakfast, followed after lunch by exercise until dinner time.  When did 
he have time to describe anything. I would have liked to learn about the 
American species he described. 
	For those who enjoy the history of their passion, this book  
will be fascinating, and will set the stage for a comparable work for 
the colonies (whoops---that's us), a century from now.  There have been, 
of course, biographical accounts of American lepidopterists, 
particularly A. Mallis' American Entomologists, but nothing like the 
rich texture of Salmon's book. 
	For such a well-illustrated butterfly book, the price is very 
modest.  M. Gochfeld--Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. [April 30, 
2001] 

 
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