78 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 



We entirely agree with the author in his closing words : " In the case of 

 too many naturalists the dogma or creed of natural selection has tied their 

 hands, obscured their vision, and prevented their seeking by observation 

 and experiment to discover, so far as human intelligence can do so, the 

 tangible, genuine, efficient factors of organic evolution." 



American Spiders and their Spinning Work. A natural history of 

 the Orbweaving Spiders of the United States, with special regard to 

 their Industry and Habits. By Henry C. McCook, D. D. Vol. I. 

 Published by the Author, Academy of Natural Sciences of Phila- 

 delphia, 1889. 4 to., pp. 372. 



The author of this sumptuous volume is so well known from his 

 valuable and interesting works on the natural history of various kinds of 

 Ants, and his charming little book, " The Tenants of an old Farm," that 

 any productions of his pen are looked forward to with lively anticipation 

 and keen interest. We are quite sure that no one of the subscribers to 

 this, his latest and greatest work, has been in the least degree disap- 

 pointed by this first volume of the promised three. Though spiders are 

 not insects, we have no doubt that every entomologist, and indeed every 

 lover of natural history in any of its departments, will deeply enjoy the 

 perusal of this volume. We cannot give a better idea of its contents than 

 by mentioning the subjects treated of They are, first, the general 

 classification, structure and spinning organs of spiders ; the construction 

 and armature of Orbweavers' snares ; the characteristic forms and 

 varieties of snares ; unbeaded orbs and spring snares ; the engineering 

 and mechanical skill and intelligence of spiders ; their modes of procur- 

 ing food and habits in feeding ; their fangs and poison bags ; their modes 

 of nest making and its development in various tribes ; and finally • the 

 " genesis of snares.'' All these different subjects are fully illustrated with 

 more than three hundred and fifty WQod cuts. The second volume is to 

 treat of the mating and maternal instincts, the life of the young, the dis- 

 tribution of species, etc.; and the third will be devoted to descriptions of 

 the orb weaving fauna of the United States, with coloured illustrations of a 

 number of species. The whole will form one of the most complete works 

 of the kind in the English language. Entomologists will need to have 

 long purses if they wish to possess all tlie literature of the day, and to 

 procure for themselves such costly and beautiful books as Scudder's and 

 Edwards's Butterflies and McCook's Spiders. We trust that all who can 

 possibly afford it will aid the authors in their self-sacrificing enterprises 

 by subscribing for their books, but those who cannot do so should us - 



