l82 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [April, '08 



Entomological Literature. 



DIE HYMENOPTEREN MITTELEUROPAS, NACH- IHREN GATTUNGEN UNO 

 ZUM CROSSEN TEIL AUCH NACH IHREN ARTEN ANALYTISCH BEAR- 

 EKITET. By Dr. Otto Schmiedeknecht. Pp. 804, with 120 text 

 figures. (Jena 1907, Verlag von Gustav Fischer.) 

 The present extensive treatise although it does not deal directly with 

 the fauna of North America, is one which will be very useful to stu- 

 dents of Hymenoptera in this country. Since the publication of Cres- 

 son's Synopsis twenty years ago, no single comprehensive work has 

 been available for the use of American entomologists desiring to be- 

 gin the study of this complex and interesting group of insects. Dur- 

 ing this time many new genera have been discovered, and other Euro- 

 pean ones found in America, until at the present time there is a great 

 deal lacking in the synopsis which will be in great part supplied by 

 the new work. 



Professor Schmiedeknecht has classified all of the families down to 

 genera, and as the genera occurring in the United States and in cen- 

 tral Europe are in most cases very nearly the same, this part of the 

 volume may be applied to the classification of our own fauna with the 

 most gratifying results. 



On account of the large number of species included in the parasitic 

 groups, these have been in most cases only generically classified, al- 

 though specific tables for genera of special interest like Ichneumon and 

 Gasteruption are given in complete form. Specific tables arc however 

 given for all the wasps and bees and the Chalastogastra, but they are 

 of no aid to American entomologists, for an extremely small number 

 of species are common to the two continents. 



On the whole the work seems to embody the current views of the 

 foremost workers in each group, which allows of a much more rep- 

 resentative and conservative treatment than would otherwise have been 

 possible. Only twenty-two families are recognized. The author's own 

 familiarity with what is no doubt the most difficult family, the Ichneu- 

 monidze, makes this part of the book especially valuable. 



Each family and other of the larger groups is described at some 

 length, with figures of wings and other diagnostic parts and also with 

 references to available literature. 



In short, the volume is a storehouse of much that will prove use- 

 ful to American as well as European entomologists, and should be in 

 the hands of all actively interested in the classification of these in- 

 sects. C. T. BRUES. 



MESSRS. HEBARD AND REHN are trying to tell from the appearance 

 of the map of the United States where the most new species of Or- 

 thoptera may be found. They are planning an expedition. 



