100 



soon as possible and at the same time indicate whether they have any pre- 

 ference as to the date of reading their papers. The inaugural meeting 

 will ])robably be held in the beginning of December. Titles of papers 

 must be sent in before the 15bh November, after which date the com- 

 mittee will take steps to fill u\) any vacancies which may then exist in 

 the programme. 



AN IMPORTANT WORK. 



" Entomology for Beginners" for the use of young folks, fruit- 

 growers, farmers and gardeners, by A. S. Packard, M.D., 

 Ph.D. 



We have received from Dr. Packard's publishers a copy of his 

 new work bearing the above caption. This little book is undoubtedly 

 an important one and its appearance very well-timed. At the present 

 day when the necessity is acknowledged for knowing something of the 

 life-histories of the many injurious insects which annually destroy a 

 large proportion of our crops, it is a rather remarkable fact that there 

 was not until Dr. Packard's book appeared, any small manual to be had 

 at a low price, such as those who were not entomologists would care to 

 buy and have on their shelves "in case they might require it." More- 

 over, undoubtedly, one of the greatest hindrances to a beginner when 

 anxious to make a collection of insects and to learn something of their 

 habits, was the fact that there was no small, systematic work from 

 which he could obtain the necessary information which he required at 

 the vei-y start such as the way to collect, kill, mount, i)reserve, and 

 classify his specimens. 



This drawback which has existed for so long is, we believe, now 

 supplied by the above mentioned work. 



The want of a convenient hand-book was particularly felt by those 

 educationists who were wide-awake enough to appreciate the value of 

 entomological studies as a means of training the mind of youth in a 

 way which, at the same time that it sharpens the faculties of observation 

 and memory, gives the power to think from the fact that it deals with 

 real things which actually exist and which the students can find and 



