Butterflies in Thailand. Vol. 6. Satyridae, Libytheidae, Riodinidae - Eliot J.N.

Thailand, Viratham Press, 1988, 104 pp. in full color, 19 x 26.5 cm, hard cover and dust jacket, good condition

As this volume, the latest issue of the series, went to the press, I felt very much relieved. My dream has come true. I finally made it. Back in 1974, when I started to publish the first volume of the books on Butterflies in Thailand, the thought that I would one day complete such a series did not even occur to me. It would be presumptuous indeed to conceive such a bold programme. However, with the encouragement and assistance of staunch supporters and friends, I carried on and one volume after another was brought out to see the light of the day. This volume now in your hands is the sixth in the series.

In term of new discoveries, I must say we have come a long way and have achieved quite an impressive progress in this field over the past years. I had the opportunity fifteen years ago to go through the record on Butterflies of Thailand, compiled by E. J. Godfrey in 1932 and was able to count only 727 species. The list today includes 311 genera, 1126 species and 273 sub-species, a remarkable increase over the old record. In my collection alone, I have nearly 1,000 species. It is to be hoped that such a spectacular progress would continue uninterrupted.

Although we have made yearly expedition to different parts of the country in search of. butterflies, especially of rare species, still there are places yet to be covered and areas yet to be explored. This, I am sure, will offer an interesting challenge to those who love adventure and who wish to make new discoveries, to pick up from what has hitherto been left out.