Notes, Reviews and Comments. 239 



The remaining five hundred pages of the volume are devoted to a 

 discussion of the Insects by D. Sharp, M. A., who will require another 

 volume to complete his account of this most prolific of all the classes of 

 animal life. Nearly one hundred pages are occupied by a very complete, 

 although necessarily concise description of the anatomy, embryology 

 and development of insects in general. This is followed by an outline 

 of the classification and it is noted with pleasure that Dr. Sharp has not 

 followed the propensity of some authors to divide the insects into a 

 large number of orders, but has limited them to nine ; viz. Aptera, 

 Orthoptera, Neuroptera, Hymenoptera, Coleoptera,Lepidoptera, Diptera, 

 Thysanoptera and Hemiptera. The first order contains 

 Thysanura and Collembola, the little creatures, mostly 

 found in damp localities, known as "springtails." The chapters 

 dealing with the Orthoptera will attract the attention of many readers' 

 from the numerous interesting forms which are mentioned, whose 

 great diversity of structure and ornamentation are so well depicted by 

 beautiful illustrations of many of the remarkable genera which inhabit 

 tropical regions. The Neuroptera, though not yielding such strangely 

 developed and fantastic insects, are perhaps more interesting from their 

 greater variety of habit, arising partly from the fact that so many of the 

 species are aquatic in their early stages. This order also contains the 

 familiar Termites, or so-called white ants, in which the social life has 

 developed great variations in the forms and functions of different 

 individuals and results in the construction of sometime 5 ; really wonderful 

 erections. Each of these two extensive orders requires about one 

 hundred and fifty pages for its exposition, and the remaining eighty 

 pages treat of the Hymenoptera, (in part), the most interesting in many 

 ways of all the orders of insects. 



The portion of the order dealt with in this volume, includes the 

 Sessiliventres (Saw-flies and Horn-tails) and the parasitic families of the 

 Petiolata. Fine illustrations are given of several species which occur 

 at Ottawa such as Orysstis Sayi, Tremex colwnba, Thakssa lunator and 

 Pelecinus polyturator. All the illustrations throughout the volume are 

 most excellent, and the figures, of which there are 371, have been in 

 great measure drawn especially for the work, which is beautifully printed, 



