Mar., '10] ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS 143 



the more recent and plastic generic groups where each genus will be 

 found to connect with related genera through intermediate 

 species which may not necessarily have reverted to their parent stock 

 but which do combine the characters of both genera and are character- 

 istic of neither. One student will place such a species in one genus 

 while the next will locate it in another and both may be equally cor- 

 reect. These transition species serve to show us how artificial our 

 generic groups are, and must be if we wish them to be of the great- 

 est service in the classification of our insects. 



But to return to the catalogue before us. The enumeration of the 

 genera and species we find to be remarkably complete and accurate and 

 shows a marvelous industry on the part of the author. I have not 

 been over it for omissions or errors and incidentally have noticed 

 but one or two. On page 187 my Platycoris scutellahis is listed as a 

 synonym of Poecilotoma grandicornis, whereas it is a distinct but 

 closely allied species of that genus, and my Dictyotus (. ? ) pallidus 

 (page 43) belongs to Bergroth's recent genus Eurynannus (page 204). 

 Under each genus the species are arranged in alphabetical order, a 

 purely artificial method which has its disadvantages but the use of 

 sub-genera and sectional divisions in a measure compensate for this. 

 Under the specific name the full binomial used by the author is given 

 which will be a great convenience to the student. Another very use- 

 ful feature is the naming of the types for each genus and sub-genus. 

 On the other hand, our author has used "1. c." much too freely for 

 ~-Hv reference, and each generic and specific name should have been 

 followed by its authority. We also note that he has given us no 

 table for distinguishing the superfamilies enumerated on page xxi. 

 We are grateful to Mr. Kirkaldy for this first volume of his great 

 catalogue and will look anxiously for the appearance of the later 

 volumes. 



Since sending this review to the printer I have learned with deep 

 regret of the untimely death of my friend G. W. Kirkaldy. We have 

 faint hope that someone may be found who can take up the biblio- 

 graphical work he so ably inaugurated and give us an authoritative 

 catalogue of the Hemiptera of the world. 



E. P. VAN Dt'ZEE. 



ANT COMMUNITIES AND How THEY ARE GOVERNED A study in Na- 

 tural Civics. By Henry Christopher McCook, author of "Na- 

 ture's Craftsmen," "Tenants of an Old Farm," etc., etc. Illus- 

 trated from nature. Harper & Brothers, Publishers, New York 

 and London, 10x19. 

 This is a book of 321 pages and is illustrated by 97 figures. The 



kind of entomology that is here set forth appeals to everyone as it re- 



