The British Noctuae and their Varieties. Vol. I-IV

Description:

Complete in 4 volumes. Lithographed design by F.W. Frohawk to title pages. A classic work on British Lepidoptera and one of the most important nineteenth-century studies of variation in moths. Reflecting J. W. Tutt's keen interest in Darwinian principles of evolution and natural selection, the work systematically documents the remarkable range of colour forms and aberrations found within the British Noctuidae, examining their origin and significance in relation to heredity and environmental influences. Based on extensive original observations, it became a standard reference for lepidopterists and remains an important contribution to the history of entomology and evolutionary biology.

Condition

4 vols, 8vo, orig. pebbled cloth, gt; some endpapers browned. Bookplate of Philip Brookes Mason (1842-1903) a British physician and surgeon and one of the foremost Victorian amateur entomologists. A specialist in Coleoptera, he assembled one of the finest private insect collections in Britain, acquiring several celebrated collections of British beetles and other insects. A fine set.