20 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 



BOOK NOTICES. 



Insects Injurious to Forest and Shade Trees, by Alpheus S. 

 Packard, M. D., Ph. D. (Fifth Report of the Entomological Com- 

 mission of the United States), i vol., 8vo., pp. 957. Washington : 

 Government Printing Office, 1890. 

 About ten years ago (in 1881) what was then called the United States 

 Entomological Commission, consisting of Messrs. Riley, Packard and 

 Thomas — three very eminent men — issued a work by Dr. Packard on 

 "Insects Injurious to Forest and Shade Trees" (Bulletin No. 7), a goodly 

 volume of 275 pages, well illustrated and replete with valuable informa- 

 tion. Recently a revised and much enlarged edition of this pubHcation 

 has been issued by the Department of Agriculture at Washington, bring- 

 ing the original work more nearly down to date, and furnishing, as far 

 as possible, a complete manual on the subject. The new volume is more 

 than three times the size of the former edition, consisting of no less than 

 950 pages, illustrated by over 300 wood cuts and forty plates, twelve of 

 which are coloured. Some idea of the extent of the work, as well as of 

 the importance of the subject, may be found from the fact that descrip- 

 tions are given of over three hundred species of insects that affect the 

 oak, and the names of nearly 150 more are mentioned; sixty-one are 

 described as attacking the elm, and thirty more mentioned ; one hundred 

 and fifty-one described that affect the pine, and a list of twenty more 

 given ; and so on for a large number of other trees. Economic entomo- 

 logists for the most part devote their attention to the insects that attack 

 fruit trees, crops and vegetables, as these most directly affect the public ; 

 but surely no more important matter can be studied than the preservation 

 of our forests, which are annually being depleted for the purposes of 

 commerce, as well as by fire and insects. It is high time that more atten- 

 tion was paid to this matter, and that people generally should be aroused 

 to the dangers that will surely result if we allow our country to be stripped 

 of its woods and forests. In some countries of Europe, notably in Ger- 

 many, a very rigid oversight of the forests is maintained by the govern- 

 ment, and no wanton or careless destruction is permitted. In connection 

 with this, they encourage scientific men to devote their studies to the 

 insect enemies of trees, and as a result some magnificent books have been 

 published, chief among these are the grand work of Ratzeburg and the 

 perhaps less widely known publications of Kaltenbach. Alongside of 

 these Dr. Packard's book will assuredly take its place, as his work is 



